Articles by David Levy

Last month I returned to Israel for my first visit since Hamas attacked Israel on Oct. 7.
It felt very different. My heart was as full as ever, but my eyes were filled with tears and my soul with trepidation. The pain and fear provoked by that horrific day still feel so present.

I have not been immune to doom scrolling Facebook, to post and repost in support of Israel. Much of what I read — the obituaries, the stories of those held hostage, the pain of parents and children — is deeply affecting, but one post stopped me in my tracks. A young woman whose bat mitzvah I had officiated at many years ago simply posted, “’Never Again’ Doesn’t Have an Expiration Date.” In seven words she said it all.

Until May 14, mentioning I was from Buffalo would inevitably turn to talk of chicken wings (Duff’s), lamenting the Sabres and tailgates with Bills Mafia. Sadly, our city has now joined Pittsburgh, El Paso, Poway, Charleston, and far too many other places whose names are associated with modern American mass shootings. I am heartbroken for my hometown and the Black community, which are such a vital part of the Queen City. Working to eradicate the hatred behind this mass murder of people of color is more important than ever. And while that work is the responsibility of all of us who seek to be defined as members of a community of conscience, there is a special place for the Black and Jewish communities.

We have been battling violent antisemitism through so many generations that the effort can sometimes feel disheartening and lonely. But along with finding hope in the heroics of Rabbi Cytron-Walker and his congregants, I find solace in our relationships with allies who stand with the Jewish community in solidarity, and in finding paths to healthier communities and a safer future for all.

In showing up for Shabbat in that Spanish shul, we were reminded most powerfully that that we are not alone. More than anything else, is what happened.

Assistant Secretary of Education Kenneth L. Marcus has taken action that you say “put the weight of the federal government” behind a definition of antisemitism. It is known as the International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance Working Definition of Antisemitism, and 14 years ago, the American Jewish Committee played a role in drafting it.