The answer, it seems to me, is not so much pride as gratitude and resolution. Gratitude for being permitted, by pure chance, to take part in what may be the greatest epic in the history of the human race. The Jewish people has trodden a path that is unlike any other. We are the last survivors of an ancient and unforgiving world. We have undergone trials unthinkable to other peoples. And out of this, we have nonetheless forged one of the most vital, important and influential civilizations known to history. To be allowed to be part of this civilization, for all its difficulties, is a great gift, perhaps the greatest of all, and we should be properly thankful.
This gift, however, comes with an obligation. It is a simple obligation, and made necessary by the world’s violent ambivalence towards our civilization, both embracing and despising it simultaneously. Because of this ambivalence, one of the defining aspects of being Jewish—especially being young and Jewish—is that of struggle. And the most important thing to realize is that one cannot retain one’s dignity, integrity and basic bodily existence without engaging in that struggle. One must do so in the name of both ourselves and our mighty ancestors whose struggle is the only reason we are here today as we are. What this requires, above all, is resolution. A surety of purpose. The knowledge that we are heirs to a titanic legacy and we must honor it.
Perhaps, in the end, these two principles—gratitude and resolution—can be the source of a pride that is a genuine pride. A pride that is without compromise but also without arrogance, and one of which we may consider ourselves worthy.
READ MORE:
https://www.algemeiner.com/2022/11/21/the-conundrum-of-jewish-pride/
