Rabbi Zev Johnson, Director of Chabad @ the University of Texas
“What are those people doing outside?” my 4-year-old daughter asked me innocently. “They just asked me to leave Chabad and come sing with them Daddy.”
“Why are these people doing this to us in the middle of Shabbat morning services?” asked my 7-year-old daughter and my 10-year-old son as they gave me a flyer that was just handed to them through the gate.
Our UT Jewish community was gathered in synagogue, praying the Shabbat morning services.
A small group of students and young adults affiliated with “If Not Now” decided it was a good time to protest a guest speaker, who was going to speak at our center later in the day: A sweet and soft-spoken IDF soldier.
Shockingly, these protesters spoke to my young children and gave them flyers. They also videotaped and photographed us on Chabad property, something which is traditionally prohibited on Shabbat for religious reasons. All of this didn’t happen during any speech, but during Shabbat morning prayers.
I’m not against protests, even if I disagree with the cause. But on Shabbat — during prayer services — really? There’s a time and place for protests. It would have been nice to see them show some respect while claiming to advocate dialogue because there is none without the other.
It reminded me of a fringe religious group, who were very active a few years ago, and would find the most inappropriate times to demonstrate. They didn’t make any friends, but cruelly garnered a lot of media attention.
This was a first for us at Chabad at UT. We’re a student center, a Chabad House, a place of Jewish engagement and joy for all Jewish students. Students come to us from all backgrounds and political spectrums. We are not a political organization. We are here for Jews and Judaism, period.
As it happens, for security measure we had an off-duty police officer at the Chabad house. She is an African-American police officer who we later found out is a detective and an ordained minister. She joined us and the discussion at the Shabbat meal later in the afternoon. She seemed to be perplexed by the protest in the morning.
Our guest, who served in the IDF, spoke without any agenda, sharing his life experiences about ethics in combat, challenges that the police officer seemed to be able to relate to. She told us about her husband who was in the U.S. military and faced similar challenges. She would be on the phone with him hearing bombs exploding overhead and he would tell her that everything was ok. It was a thoughtful and meaningful conversation, again with no politics but plenty of love and mutual respect and thoughts to ponder.
Our guest’s message was very simple:
He shared a story about his grandfather, who faced death or a lifetime of being paralyzed by the infamous Nazi murderer and torturer in the Holocaust, Josef Mengele. He stood up to him and was miraculously saved. Courage!
He visited Auschwitz together with his grandfather, with a beautiful message of hope, which seem to resonate with many students.
He was one of the soldiers who found the bodies of the innocent Israeli boys who were murdered by Hamas terrorists. He shared the impact it had on him.
He also led an interactive discussion about ethics in combat, with the core point being his personal struggle with saving both innocent life, both Jewish and Arab. It was something that left you thinking. No agenda, no politics.
I also spoke, about how in this week’s Torah portion the half shekel was used for the census to count the Israelites in the wilderness, before they entered into the land of Israel more than 3,000 years ago. Teaching us the idea that we are all halves of a whole, and only when we unite can we have completion and peace.
The If Not Now group, lied about the what was discussed, and exploited our Jewish community for cheap photos on social media.
It’s absolutely unacceptable and unethical that these protesters targeted my children. I, as an adult, truly enjoy good conversation with mutual respect, but for protestors to engage young children is plain wrong.
The saddest part to me is that the protest was organized by fellow Jews, who should have understood the value and sensitivities around Shabbat observance, prayer and community. They showed up in the middle of morning Shacharit/Mussaf prayers, and very insensitively took pictures and videos of my kids on Shabbat. They failed to show the most basic respect and sensitivity.
It was in certain ways a very sad day. I am hopeful that one day it will be good for all of mankind, both Jew and non-Jew, as we work together to repair the world via our holy Torah. With mutual respect and dialogue, with our combined effort and actions of bringing world peace, redemption, we will reveal G-d in this world. We will make it a fitting dwelling place for him, as it is stated in the Midrash, with the coming of Moshiach, may this be speedily in our days!
P.S. A big thank you to the Jewish Community Relations Council of Greater Dallas (JCRC) and Jewish Federation of Greater Dallas for making this beautiful and overall inspiring Shabbat happen and a big thank you to the wonderful students of UT, many of whom are proud Jews and are like family to us. AM YISRAEL CHAI!
(Screenshots taken from IfNot Now Facebook page insensitively taking pictures (and videos of our kids) on Shabbat protesting a non-political IDF speaker in our house while we are simply in the middle of morning prayers.)
#8, I am interested to know where exactly you are a posek? I mean you seemingly poskin that the group are goyim and it is a mitzvah to hate them. The mitzvah of Ahavas Yisroel is easy when you agree with someone. It still applies though when you don’t. It is painful to see these people demonstrating at a Shabbos service but nonetheless we still need to reach out to them. I say this as one who agreed with them and then was “shown the light”. It wouldn’t have happened if it was assumed that I was a goy. My… Read more »
I encourage you to reach out to them. They are an Israel advocacy group on Campus. They work with Chabadaa well. Money, legal help, and staff.
I’m not sure how it is nuygeah that your off duty security was African American?
Get real. Please. Neo nazi Jews.
“Self hating Jews”.
It may be that some of them are Jewish by birth, but this should *not* be assumed. They should be treated by default as goyim, because many of them are, and in their minds they all are. These are people who say kaddish for terrorists. They are enemies of the Jewish people, just like any nazi. Rabbi Johnson correctly compares them to the Fred Phelps cult, which goes out of its way to offend all decent people, and which is universally despised. Even those who happen to have been born to Jewish mothers (which again should not be assumed without… Read more »
The JINOs J-Jewish I,In, N-Name O-Only are the most heinous racists, Jewish anti Semites! They should have been confronted!
If you would ask them why they’re protesting at that time and place and why against that specific IDF soldier they would give the most ignorant responses they follow what they’re told about the IDF like sheep
They didn’t protest on Shabbos because of religious ignorance. They did it out of hatred of Jews & Judaism — and religion in general. The left-wing is practically satanic, now.
Were the protesters invited in to join services? Or to have some kiddish lunch? It could of been a perfect time to sit down and talk about the issues calmly together, while giving them the warmth of shabbos.
I was a regular at Sabbath services at UT Chabad back in the late 70s and early 80s, while a student at UT Austin. The Chabad house was my home away from home. Its good to see its still thriving. I’ve been living in Crown Heights over 30 years now. I still look back on those days with fondness.
Very sad. They do this to pad their college applications. Just idiotic.
to these lost neshomos