It’s impossible to calculate, but there are some powerful, non-traditional, and uniquely modern factors that are contributing to today’s increase in antisemitism.
These include the preponderance of Jews in the news for links to the sex offender Jeffrey Epstein, tech billionaires accused of manipulating algorithms and social media for pure profit, Jews in top administrative positions in the Trump administration, and the very debatable and controversial issue of how Israel is conducting the war in Gaza.
Although few Jews in the news have been accused of committing a crime, the mention of Jewish names in association with anti-societal actions is enough to fuel new conspiracy theories and reawaken old canards. This includes Jewish control of the media, government, or even fake 9-11 conspiracies. Social media has popularized the term “the Epstein class” to describe wealthy men who engage in criminal behavior and don’t suffer any legal consequences.
Worse, this sad shanda development has no remedy. 
Major American Jewish organizations cannot combat these perceptions because they are too broad, or in some cases, undeniable. No major Jewish organization would defend a sex offender, the negative impact of social media, or why there are so many Jews in the Trump administration are accused of self-profit. On the shanda topic, the major organizations have huge budgets to defend traditional sources of antisemitism, but here they are powerless.
There is also the problem that if a major Jewish group criticizes a specific Jewish individual for a crime or an alleged bad association, it creates problems related to Jewish tradition.
No Public Shaming of Jews Allowed
Jews are not supposed to publicly criticize, defame, ridicule, or focus attention on another Jew’s infirmities, social situation, financial status, or shortcomings.
So, what happens when a person with a Jewish name violates a social norm or the law? How should the broader Jewish community react to this violation of laws or public norms, and how should it affect the community?
With this, we enter the world of the shanda. As the Chabad website says, the Yiddish word shanda translates as “shame” in English. If a religious or educated Jew commits a Shanda, they may be cited for “tzu shand” or “to shame.”
How shame is treated in the Jewish community is an ancient question with current applications. It is impossible to watch the news today without some mention of a Jewish figure who has broken a law, violated a norm, or supported a person, policy, or political party that other Jews vehemently oppose. This also makes it very difficult to write about this topic without using anyone’s name as an example of embarrassment. One reason is that a person who commits a Shanda could quickly become another person’s hero in today’s contentious environment.
The other reason is political or cultural sensitivity. While researching this article, no Yeshiva responded to my requests for comments on this topic. Only one rabbi responded; he said any discussion of a shanda would only inflame anti-Semitism. This is a good observation, except that antisemitic acts are already at high levels, so maybe a debate on the topic could be beneficial to the community.
But I took the rabbi’s comments to heart. I worked to write an article about Jews who shame the community without including one name, pro or con, criminal or accused, regardless of political affiliation, in this article.
This is a challenge since we all have a list of Jews who have caused shame in the community. Listing these names could even become a new parlor game, but the sad reality is that there is no shortage of people to include on the list.
A contemporary discussion on this topic also links us to our past. We know Jewish culture and Hebrew law examine how negative, criminal, or anti-social acts create community shame and how these acts violate written law. We can start with the Talmud: “Three signs signify that a person has a Jewish essence: he is compassionate, ashamed of doing wrong, and seeks to do acts of kindness.” (Talmud, Yevamot 79a).
Shame and being ashamed are so human that they are the first sins mentioned in the Bible. “Adam and Eve felt healthy shame for disobeying G‑d’s commandment. After Cain killed Abel, Cain’s initial lack of shame was so problematic that he had to go through a long cleansing period to awaken him,” writes Miriam Adahan in her article “Shame and Emotional Turmoil” on The Jewish Woman.org. Cain was off the hook from committing a Shanda because he wasn’t Jewish. That would not be possible until Moses received the 15 Commandments (in the Mel Brooks version) or the Ten Commandments, as we all know them today.
After the Commandments were received at Mt. Sinai, the Jewish people were open for business. They were supposed to be bound to the 613 commandments. This set the framework for Jewish community standards in business, social and community relations, hygiene, and all forms of legal and ethical behavior towards other Jews and even their animals, for centuries.
Yet, while there are many commentaries on the shanda topic, how should Jews today react when one of their own violates the law or creates a situation that denigrates the larger community?
Repairing the Shanda Damage
Embarrassing the Jewish community creates problems inside and outside the community. In the words of Gene Weingarten of the Washington Post (May 17, 2011), “to be a shanda for the goyim’ is to confirm the most hurtful stereotypes, thereby doing damage twice: a Jew who dishonors Jews by not only doing something bad but doing something that confirms the worst fears of others about Jews in general.” Worse, this makes a shanda “a disgrace before the nations.”
This shame has two sources: internal and external. The social and business behaviors of Jews are scrutinized more closely than those of other ethnic groups, and like Hebrew National hot dogs, Jews are held to a higher standard. After all, Jews are the chosen people and are instructed to be a “light for the nations.” In this role, they represent Him and His will in the world. Transgressing the Torah or acting shamefully is bad enough, but to do so in public is a double Shanda,” according to Chabad.
So, while we all have a list of people to include on the Shanda list, we should focus on the opposite. Despite the evident and hideous acts of abuse and crimes committed by some Jews in the news today, most Jews pursue goodness. This is behind the warning Shiviti Ha-Shem le-negdi tamid – “I’ve ever measured myself against the Lord” (Psalms 16:8).
If more Jews need a primer on good behavior, they should get a copy of Pirkei Avot (Ethics of the Fathers), a bestseller that has been around since 300 BCE to 200 CE. There is also a newer version based on the teachings of Rabbi Menachem Schneerson, In the Paths of Our Fathers. (1994).
It’s hard to understand why some people have failed miserably in their public or private lives to become criminals and cause embarrassment to the Jewish community. Maybe modern society provides too many excuses, temptations, and opportunities for bad behavior.
However, most people have the chance to work harder to do more visible good deeds. This would be a modest effort that everyone can undertake to address the significant damage done to the Jewish community. I
