This opinion column argues that Jewish people are fundamentally different from one another, and that recognizing those differences is necessary for real unity. The writer says Jews come from different families and ethnic communities, marry across group lines, and eat a wide range of foods, making diversity part of ordinary life rather than an obstacle to overcome.
He warns against ignoring what happens to others and pretending it will not affect us. In his view, people wrongly complain about neighbors, protest in ways that hurt others, and resent those who are beaten at demonstrations, instead of understanding that different people react differently because they are different.
To support the point, he cites classic Jewish texts read around the period leading up to Tisha B’Av. He recalls Haman’s claim to King Ahasuerus that there is “a people scattered and dispersed” whose laws are different, and also quotes the biblical line that Israel is “a people that dwells alone.” He says those characters were right about Jewish difference, even if they were villains, and notes that Jews often fail to live by that reality, sometimes caring too much about the wider world at their own expense.
The column says the clearest times to see Jewish unity are in hardship and in joy. The writer chooses to focus on joy, describing a recent sheva berachot celebration where people of many different types came together through music, food, drinks and friendship. He ends on a personal note, saying his wife often reminds him that their differences should not stop him from helping more at home, proving that even when people are different, some things still do not change.
