Why I Am Atoning For Racism
The following post is a shortened version of a Yom Kippur talk given at Anshe Chesed Fairmount Temple in Beachwood, OH.
Yom Kippur, the Jewish Day of Atonement, is a challenging holiday. Jews are commanded to fast and to own their sins so they can atone for them.
On this day of introspection and deliberate discomfort, I, a white American, am asking myself the following uncomfortable question: Should I include racism in my confessions?
It pains me to say so, but I believe the answer is yes.
I am confessing racism because I benefit from it.
The old me thought of racism only as an individual’s intentional hatred and bigotry towards people of color. Today, I understand racism also to be a deeply-rooted system in our country that disadvantages and devalues people of color as a group and advantages and empowers white people as a group, regardless of whether white individuals wish to be advantaged or empowered in this way.
One key benefit of understanding racism from this perspective is that I can hate racism and own my role in it without necessarily hating myself.
In order to grasp that racism is ingrained in our country’s DNA, I have had to better understand our country’s past and present. Ta-Nehisi Coates offers a succinct historical description:
This piece as a black man made me smile. It was so refreshing to see someone white confess to this. A reminder this is for the African American group
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/entry/why-i-am-atoning-for-racism_us_57fd1273e4b090dec0e71dc2?
= new reply since forum marked as read
I am glad you enjoyed it, and I know you are someone who has actually taken the time to express disgust and anger when anti-Semitism rears its ugly head. It is that knowledge which made me hesitate about eve responding because I want to be as respectful of an ally as I can be.
First, I feel I need to explain Yom Kippur. It is indeed the "Day of Atonement" and it is when G-d seals the Book of Life in our religion. Second, outside of the Sabbath, it is the holiest day in the Jewish year (which is now 5777). Third, keep in mind this is how I was raised and the traditions of my family (there are slight variations among our tribe). Finally, how the "atonement" works is not as simplistic as I feel the article paints it. For me, it is sometimes much easier to explain using examples, so, here it goes...
There are various types of "sins" for which we are accountable. There are those against G-d, those against society, and those against our fellow humans (personal). We can only ask for absolvement for a sin by the one for which we sinned against. Sins, such as blasphemy, are against G-d and we much ask Him to absolve us. For those against society, such as racism, we can't "ask" for forgiveness, we can only act to correct them with respect and dignity, not out of guilt. The personal sins/slights, must take place with the person slighted. We can ask, in sincerity, three times and if met with denial, we are "forgiven". So, let's say I call you, Coolest Ranger, a liar and a cheat. I spread gossip about you, and even work to smear your name. I cannot, therefore, turn to G-d and ask, "Forgive me for my lies, slander, gossip mongering, and disrespect of Coolest Ranger." I must approach you, and with all sincerity, and humbly, ask you to forgive me. While you are not bound to do so, it is my responsibility to ensure you I am sincere and after three times, if still not forgiven, then I can consider the matter closed. Conversely, I cannot say to you, "Coolest Ranger, I am very sorry I didn't keep kosher when I could have easily done so." You can't "forgive me" of that "sin" as that is a sin "against G-d".
The most "tricky sins" are the ones against society. It is this of which the author speaks. We (as Jews) are charged with making our society, all of society, a better place than we found it. To ignore bigotry, hate, and cruelty is sinful. There are some which point to this "commandment" (Tikkun Olam) as a reason why so many Jews are doctors, lawyers, social workers, and in the arts; we are to "heal the world" through the pursuit of social justice. It, of course, doesn't mean we don't have our share of assholes who are destructive and bad. So, like the author, I appreciate her contributions to creating a better world through racial harmony; through understanding, and outreach. What I didn't like is her "confessing" to racism, when she meant "white privilege". The two aren't interchangeable terms. Now, she may have been racist, I am not sure, but from what she wrote, it looks to me as if she is talking about white privilege, for that, I think one can "confess" to it, especially if one has used it, knowingly or unknowingly (G-d doesn't allow us to use the excuse of "well, I didn't know!"...neither does my mother!). While racism is deeply embedded into the fabric of our country, indeed society in general, we can only be responsible for our actions. Laughing at a racist joke is racism; we have sinned against society and must make amends.
So the article, while having some good points, seems a bit heavy handed, even a bit "look at me", which is not the point of "repairing the world." Upon saying that, I am going to say "look at me" in a way with another point. I looked at some of her other articles, and while she certainly has some very on point things to say about racism and white privilege, I really was turned off, actually angry, at yet another Jew ignoring the plight of our people, minimizing the treatment of Jews, here and abroad, and being completely ahistorical in regards to the Jewish experience in America. I can be an ally to the African-American community. I do my best, but don't always succeed, but when I try and never do, is to ignore my own people's history and the bigotry against us at the expense of trying to be a "good ally." That is to say, while I don't always need to discuss anti-Semitism (or homophobia) when discussing racism/white privilege, I will not downplay or ignore the bigotry flung at me or my people in order to make it seem I am "evolved" when discussing racism as a white person.
I hope this makes sense. Yes, I am white, and like her, I am also a Jew and it is through those eyes, not just the white ones, is how I read the article.
(PS: I was just using you as an example and don't think I have ever slandered you or called you a liar; if I have you better tell me! 
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