What It Means to Choose Freedom

This past Sunday, Bari Weiss gave a speech at 92NY called “The State of World Jewry.” The address is a historic one. Over four decades, it has been delivered by the likes of Elie Wiesel, Abba Eban, Amos Oz, and more.

But for a sense of the state of Jewish life in America these days, you only need to have walked by the building in the hours leading up to and after the speech. You would’ve found that police had cordoned off the entire block and for good reason: anti-Israel protesters, many wearing masks, gathered to intimidate Bari and those who came to the lecture. On the way in, you would’ve been screamed at—told you were a “baby killer” and “genocide supporter” among other choice phrases. You might have even glimpsed Jerry Seinfeld being heckled and called “Nazi scum” on his way out of the talk.

The NYPD and the entire staff of 92NY made sure that everyone who attended the talk was able to do so safely. But everyone must ask themselves: Do you want to live in a country in which simply giving a speech about a Jewish subject requires police protection? What does that reality say about the state of our country and our freedoms?

Bari’s words offer some measure of explanation about the moment we find ourselves in and how we might emerge from it.