Page 16 - Harlem Sukkot Companion 2020

function at the same level of ritual observance or possess the same Torah
knowledge, but every single one of us matters. The midrash’s second explanation
highlights how vital every single Jew is to the wellbeing of our community as a
whole. This explanation has always resonated the most with me as it calls attention
to the indispensable role each and every one of us holds in endeavors to keep our
nation alive and well. Our lives and identities may look different from one another,
but we are all integral.

Jews do not all look the same. We come in all shapes and sizes, and we certainly
come in a multitude of hues as well. A Black Jew myself, I have always remained
hyper aware that I look different from the lions’ share of my colleagues with whom
I have worshiped, learned or played at school, shul or summer camp. Throughout
the years, my blackness has functioned as the butt of jokes, the aspect of my identity
that has caused others to feel intimidated or scared and the thing that reminds me
that I, in fact, am different from so many other Jews. For years, I’ve been made to
feel like I am different from my brethren. It’s been said to me that the struggles I’ve
faced as a Black man of color in America are not inherently Jewish issues.

The racial justice uprisings that we’ve seen as of late serve as stark reminders that
our society is imperfect, inequitable and, at times, immensely tragic. Countless
Black and Brown lives have been lost due to systemic issues within the very
institutions that are meant to protect all of us. As backwards as that notion is, it’s
one with which we, as a society, must grapple.

As Jews existing within a larger multicultural, multifaceted and ultimately beautiful
society, we cannot and should not take ourselves out of this larger conversation.
More than that, however, as a Jewish community that is home to Black people
among so many others, this is our issue. This is our business, and we should seek
to be as much a part of this movement for black lives as we can be. In the spirit of
the Sukkot season and the symbolism of the arba minim, Jews must recognize and
appreciate that we may not all be the same, but we can only be complete if all of us
are properly cared for, attended to and loved.

It’s taken me years to gain the confidence I have in who I am. As someone who
holds a unique identity, and who is admittedly a bit of weirdo, I can confidently say
that I have a lot to offer to not only the Jewish community, but to any communities
of which I am a part. I may not be the perfect etrog, but I know that I hold an
important role in this world. Black people, and certainly those who are Jews, must
be seen, heard and regarded highly if we’re to engender a world which merits a
safe, healthy and sweet new year.

- 14 -