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<\/a>Moskovitz began by bringing historical context to the topic, noting that the sages would often say that new questions and problems are the reframing of events that have happened in the past.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n \u201cSadly, we have a history that can take us back to times of trial and challenge just as easily as it could to triumph,\u201d said Moskovitz. \u201cSo, part of it is that we\u2019ve seen this before and we\u2019re still here. That is, I think, a key to our resilience.\u201d<\/p>\n Another element to resiliency is adaptability, he said. Here, the senior rabbi at Temple Sholom cited a section of the Talmud that debates whether it is better to be a cedar tree or a reed.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n \u201cThe rabbis conclude it\u2019s better to be a reed than a cedar. While we can stand firm at some point, a strong enough wind from just the right angle will topple us over [if we are a cedar],\u201d Moskovitz said. \u201cBut the reed can adjust. And that\u2019s how we dealt with the destruction of the First and the Second Temple.\u201d<\/p>\n Judaism, he continued, has maintained a fluidity that allows it to be open to new ways to grapple with present-day issues like identity, the role of women and modern concepts of morality, discarding past practices that might be distasteful today.<\/p>\n \u201cI think that important to our resilience has been our ability to change,\u201d he said. \u201cWhen groups or religions don\u2019t change, their survival becomes precarious.\u201d<\/p>\n Judaism\u2019s resilience, too, can be attributed to its portability; namely, texts were printed and studied. Further, discussions, such as those occurring in the Talmud \u2013 which Moskovitz described as the \u201coriginal Wikipedia\u201d \u2013 could be had not just in one place in time but across time, to create an \u201congoing dialogue.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cI think about Pesach and the printed Haggadah, but also the technology, if we can call it that, of the socialization of the story, that coming together every year to retell our story, as opposed to telling it and forgetting it,\u201d he said. \u201cWhat Pesach does is remind us of the story of redemption, remind us of our role, Moses\u2019s role, God\u2019s role, the role of miracles, and to reinterpret that through the lens of our modern experience, to see the pharaohs of our time.\u201d<\/p>\n A recent illustration of Judaism\u2019s ability to adapt, he said, occurred during the pandemic, as events and services shifted to Zoom. Most of Temple Sholom\u2019s minyan services are still held online, as they have proved a valuable means for congregants to connect in a meaningful way.<\/p>\n Change and innovation, Moskovitz argued, are always going to happen, and it has been to Judaism\u2019s advantage to move forward, to progress, and not shelter itself from the outside world. One such step practised by Reform Judaism, for example, is to use transliteration and English translations of the Hebrew text in prayer books, making the prayers and other material accessible to a wider range of people.<\/p>\n Later in his talk, Moskovitz referenced how times of crises and discrimination have empowered Jews to create their own institutions.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n \u201cI think that we have to have a deep appreciation for the resourcefulness of the generations that came before us,\u201d he said. \u201cMost of the institutions that we have been raised in were built by a generation of Jews who were excluded from general society.\u201d<\/p>\n To the question of the post-Oct. 7 world in which university campuses and other spaces have become hotbeds of vitriol against Jews, Moskovitz stressed that flexibility and adaptability do not mean capitulation.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n \u201cIf there are places that we have been and rightfully should still be and want to be, then we do have to stand our ground there,\u201d he said. \u201cWe do have to insist and we do have to call out the hypocrisy of certain things or the blatant discrimination.\u201d<\/p>\n Crucial in this pursuit, said Moskovitz, is to find allies. He told the Zoom audience that Jews will not defeat antisemitism, but non-Jews will.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n \u201cWe can\u2019t separate ourselves from the community,\u201d he said. \u201cWhile we could use our money to pull out of places like Harvard, we should absolutely stay at the boardroom table as long as they will have us. If not, then go to whatever audience will receive our message of why we were kicked out of that place, and stay in for the argument and the fight.<\/p>\n \u201cI think that we shouldn\u2019t abandon these institutions and say, I\u2019m not going to send my kid there anymore because it\u2019s antisemitic. It will only become more antisemitic if we stop sending our kids.\u201d<\/p>\n