Member-only story
Hardened Hearts
The first response I get when I tell people I see something of myself in alt-right, American Nazis is rightful confusion. I am their antithesis in every way, ideologically and simply logically i.e. I am an empathetic Jewish man who uses empirical fact to understand history and circumstance. However, beneath the constant bigoted anger of these White men, I see a cry for help familiar from my teenage years. I see where their paths and mine diverted, and how they were corrupted into hateful, petty man-children who ruined the United States in attempts to steal it (back) for themselves. Still, despite my friends’ shock, my morbid, patient intrigue does not falter. I believe the key to eliminating the cancer of American bigotry lies in a mindful, comprehensive approach rather than simply drawing lines in the sand. This is one of my most prized lessons from Torah.
In Shmot (Exodus) G-d warns Moshe (Moses), “I will harden Pharaoh’s heart” throughout the fight for liberation. This is not some kind of cruelty; some torturous, sadistic G-d. This is a reassurance of the true nature of G-d and all things encapsulated in that idea. It is the true nature of existence. G-d is everything and within everything — even the people or things we fear and hate the most. At the very base level, as one entity relates to another in sheer existence, be it a person, a place, or a thing, our fundamental holiness is equality. Human struggle can…
