Finding Light in Music City

Dr. Darin S. Katz March 25, 2024

Over Winter Break in December, my family and I spent five lovely days in Nashville (aka “Music City”). We brought along a travel chanukkiah and candles, and lit them in our hotel room each night — our way of spreading the light during the shortest and darkest days of the year.

Throughout our vacation, I was closely following the daily anti-Semitic attacks in the New York area with a sense of heartache and despair. I then heard about the terror attack in the Monsey synagogue just before going to bed on the seventh night of Chanukkah, and was literally sick to my stomach.

The next morning, I wondered whether I should wear my kippah on our final day in Nashville; we were heading to breakfast and then to the Grand Ole Opry. With the attacks weighing heavily on me, would it be safer not to wear my kippah, and avoid any possible attention directed toward my family and me? Honestly, I was a bit scared. But then I realized -- that is exactly what the hate groups and anti-Semites would want — for me to hide in fear. So I donned my kippah, and we went about our day.

We had a few minutes to spare before our tour of the Opry so we decided to walk around the Opry Mall. It was packed with shoppers. I thought again about taking off my kippah in a busy public setting, but decided to keep it on. As we passed a kiosk in the mall, a gentleman said to us, "Chag sameach! Mah shlomchem?"  (Happy holiday! How are y’all?) The owner of the kiosk was Israeli, had noticed my kippah, and greeted us. A few minutes later the same thing happened again in front of a different kiosk with a different owner. In a sea of strangers in Music City, my kippah, the outward symbol of my Jewish heritage that I was fearful of wearing, helped us to make two new friends.

Both of these seemingly innocuous interactions helped me find the light, lifted my spirits tremendously, and reminded me that as Jews, we are never alone. There is no greater enemy of anti-Semitism than a proud, vocal, and vibrant Jewish people who are not afraid to publicly display our identity. We Jews have survived for thousands of years, and will continue to observe Jewish rituals, and to celebrate our religion and culture without fear or shame. Wearing my kippah the day after a horrific terrorist attack was my small contribution to that effort. As the incoming Head of School at Hillel, it is my responsibility, along with the Leadership Team, faculty, and staff, to instill Jewish pride in our students so they also walk tall in the face of anti-Semitism, regardless of whether they are wearing a kippah, a Jewish star, or no outward symbol at all.

As Rebbe Nachman of Breslov first stated -- כל העולם כולו גשר צר מאוד, והעיקר - לא לפחד כלל” (Kol ha'olam kulo gesher tzar me'od, veha'ikar lo le'fached klal) -- “The whole world is a very narrow bridge… and the most important thing is not to be overwhelmed by fear!”

 

 

 



 

 

 

 

 

 

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Dr. Darin S. Katz

Dr. Darin S. Katz is Head of School at Hillel Day School.