TRANSFORMING DARKNESS INTO LIGHT

Lazowski was 11 when the Nazis came for him. Separated from his family, he found himself lost in Polish forests, wandering in brutal winters before war’s end, before making it to New York. Now in his mid-90s, the rabbi emeritus of two synagogues in Connecticut looks back on a career as counselor to generations of American Jews. This is not just another tale of personal survival, though. It is a meditation on the nature of antisemitism itself. It is a history of fear, a chronicle of sorrows and success in overcoming hatred. It is, as well, a book of lessons: People find it easier to hate than to love; anger comes more quickly than acceptance. As Lazowski writes, “The idea that Jews are an alien element and, as such, are potentially harmful to the state goes back millennia.” Pharoah’s ministers suspected Joseph and his family. The history of the Jewish people is a history of diaspora, of “joy and despair.” It is this history that Lazowski wants us to know to understand the Jewish penchant for survival. Exile and return have motivated Jewish lives for as long as there have been Jews. Lazowski argues, therefore, that the answer to antisemitism is an education in Jewish history: “We can arm ourselves with strategic and tactical weapons by using our intelligence, education, and advocacy efforts.” These days, such optimism may seem empty to some. Modern Judaism is so wrapped up with the state of Israel that it is often hard to draw a line between politics and prejudice. Lazowski wants a peaceful Jewish homeland to endure. He’s no apologist for current policies. But he is hopeful for a global coexistence.