Letter to the Editor: Julian Yudelson
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Letter to the editor,
Regarding: February 15, 2023, issue
Could the G-d in the Hebrew Bible (Torah) be antisemitic???
According to the International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance (IHRA), one example of antisemitism is “applying standards to Israel ‘not expected or demanded of any other democratic nation.’”
That is exactly what G-d did when G-d told Moses to instruct the people, “You shall not taunt or oppress a stranger, for you were strangers in the land of Egypt. You shall not cause pain to any widow or orphan.” [Exodus/Shmot 22:20-21] This is clearly an expectation not demanded of any other nation. The text continues to delineate the dire penalty for this behavior on the part of the Israelites eminently clear. “If you dare to cause him pain! For he will cry out to Me, I shall surely hear his outcry. My wrath shall blaze, and I shall kill you by the sword, and your wives will be widows and your children orphans.” [Exodus 22:22-23]
Every Prophet of the Tanak held Israel to a higher standard than any other nation.
Being held to a higher standard is the essence of being a holy nation, and am kadosh, a nation of Priests, and a light unto the other nations.
Julian Yudelson, Atlanta
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