Steven Bayme, AJC’s director of Contemporary Jewish Life, discusses the traditions of Shemini Atzeret/Simchat Torah. “Much too much is invested in a language of Jewish woes,” says Bayme. “The message of the holiday is that fundamentally the reason to be a Jew is not because terrible things have happened to Jews. The reason to be a Jew is the tremendous sense of joy and celebration in Judaic heritage.”
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