In this section Goldschmidt discusses how to distinguish identities of Jewishness in Crown Heights as well as the right to protect and define your beliefs and diversity on your own terms. Near the beginning of the chapter Goldschmidt says, “In the luminous world of Hasidic thought, the soul of a Jew is fundamentally different from that of a Gentile. It’s spiritual roots lie in a wholly different realm of godliness – a higher realm that contains a greater degree of G-d’s pure light” (164). In other words, Lubavitch Hasidim Jews believe that the Jewish soul is spiritually superior than what they perceive as a Gentile soul. It is so different that they can’t even be compared, as if they did not come from the same source. This leads me to agree with Goldschmidt when he says, “Lubavitch imaginations of this spiritual radiance are equivalent, in many ways, to secular imaginations of racial phenotype. In either case, one’s inner self ‘just shines out'” (168).
In other words, saying a Jewish soul is spiritually superior than what they perceive as a Gentile soul, that there is something fundamentally different inside which just shines out, is like saying the German, or Aryan, race is superior, physically and spiritually, than any other race, so much so that they can’t even be compared to other races because their race comes from a different source while other races may very well come from animals. The only difference is that the former is more of a religious difference than the latter, which is not exactly devoid of religious difference either. You can see why I see this belief held by Lubavitch Jews a bigoted, hypocritical, and ironic one.
The Lubavitch Hasidim Jews of Crown Heights complain of being persecuted, signaled out, disapproved of, scrutinized, judged against, victims of animosity, and antisemitism but in their own way they are guilty of the same things, well not antisemitism. Not only do they “locate antisemitic intent in the smallest details of their Black neighbor’s actions” they define their “choseness” by the “hostile gazes of others” (194, 95). It’s as if their Jewishness is not only confirmed by themselves but also by others. I’m not trying to say Lubavitch Hasidim Jews solicit antisemitism against them or try to provoke it or are the cause of it or desire it. I’m trying to say they are the victims of some of the things they are guilty of by their actions and attitudes towards non-Jews. Their goal is to differentiate themselves from non-Jews and if they were accepted by non-Jews it would have defeated the purpose.
In the conclusion, Goldschmidt asks whether or not the Jewish community should even change. After all, they have the right to believe what they believe in and practice their beliefs. However, this is fine as long as you don’t impose your beliefs on others. It’s as uneasy as saying a white person has the right to be a racist as long as he/she doesn’t act on it but only thinks it.
