The other

Kristallnacht 2023

By Ginny Segaloff, Kristallnacht Commemoration Program chair and Catholic-Jewish Dialogue member

Recently, there has been a great deal of discussion about the concept of “the other.” What is meant by “the other?” Who is “the other?”

Dictionary.com defines “other” as a person or thing that is different, distinct or not included from the one or ones already mentioned or known about. This very simple term has taken on profound implications. These include the scapegoat — a person who is blamed for the wrongdoings, mistakes or faults of others, especially for the reasons of expediency.

Other implications of invoking the concept of “the other” are bullying, nationalism, genocide, racism, antisemitism and other hate crimes. The Holocaust revived this horrific approach by casting the Jews as “the other” in order to deflect from the diabolical plan of Hitler’s agenda and cause.

The concept of “the other” has never been extinguished. It raises its ugly head in ideologies, politics, organizations, religions and theologies that bolster their views and beliefs as better and purer and truer than “the others.”

Friedrich Gustav Emil Martin Niemöller, the German theologian and Lutheran pastor, expressed what happens to an individual and a society that does not understand the insidious results of “the other” in this written work:

First They Came

First they came for the Communists and I did not speak out because I was not a Communist.

Then they came for the Socialists and I did not speak out because I was not a Socialist.

Then they came for the trade unionists and I did not speak out because I was not a trade unionist.

Then they came for the Jews and I did not speak out because I was not a Jew.

Then they came for me and there was no one left to speak out for me.

Rabbi David Maayan of St. Leo University Center for Catholic-Jewish Studies will address the topic of The Other at the Catholic-Jewish Dialogue of Collier County’s Kristallnacht 2023 Commemoration. Rabbi Maayan will discuss the theological resources that exist for Catholics and Jews, in their respective traditions, to draw upon in order to encourage genuinely open engagement with each “ other .” He will share some encouraging examples from both traditions and point towards potential theological resources for further development.

This year’s event will take place on Sunday, Nov. 5, 2:30 p.m. at St. Elizabeth Seton Catholic Church at 5225 Golden Gate Parkway, Naples, FL 34116.

Refreshments will be served. Please register for this free program at www.jewishnaples.org so that we can plan accordingly.