Hannah: Could you first tell me a little bit about yourself and why you want to become a rabbi?

Rabbi Daniel Alder: Sure. So, my name is Daniel Alder. I've been a rabbi, for 35 years, all that time, with the Brotherhood synagogue in New York City on Gramercy Park. I wanted to become a rabbi, actually, from an early age, although I sort of put it aside because of pressure from my father to become a scientist, so I studied that in college. But then I chose to return to my interest in Judaism and connecting people to their Judaism. And so I went to rabbinical school through the conservative movement, a Jewish Theological Seminary.

Hannah: What is your experience with being a Jew in New York City?

Rabbi Daniel Alder: Well, one of the experiences I guess, is because I wear a kippah all the time. It makes me conscious of being a Jew and makes those around me know that I'm a Jew, as well. And I guess for me, that means I have to live up to certain standards. So if someone asks for charity or tzedakah I try to fulfill that mitzvah. And I try to set a good example, for the Jewish people in the way I act in public. I guess on the flip side, it can also mean that I'm, especially I guess, in these times of increased antisemitism a little more weary and self-conscious, in a negative way that other people may judge me for.

Hannah: Have you felt a change in attitudes about being Jewish in your community since the start of the war on October 7?

Rabbi Daniel Alder: I think not tremendously, I think we had some post-October 7 gatherings about Israel, and that attracted a large group of people. And I think people feel a little more connected to their Judaism because of the war. And I don't know whether it's been displayed much in terms of coming to synagogue more, but there have been more recently run more programs about Israel, and they have been better attended than they would have been in previous years.

Hannah: Would you say a lot of these events are more geared towards the history of Israel, as well?

Rabbi Daniel Alder: Less the history of Israel and more the climate in Israel after October 7. So we've had people speak from the perspective of one of the kibbutzim that were overrun by Hamas on October 7, we've had Israeli soldiers speak, we had the paramedics speak, we've had open forums, so less the history than what's going on now.

Hannah: Sounds like amazing events. Have you been directly affected by antisemitism in the wake of the events on October 7? And also, what about before October 7?

Rabbi Daniel Alder: No, personally, no, I can’t say that I've been affected by antisemitism. I do participate every Saturday downtown in Manhattan starting at the Bronfman Center, which is the NYU Hillel on 10th Street, and we walk around Washington Square Park and then up to Union Square, carrying signs of those who have been kidnapped and just sort of silently and just keeping their name and faces in the public awareness. So carrying that around, I've gotten some negative comments as well as some positive comments about Israel, but personally, I haven't felt any antisemitism.

Hannah: That's so amazing that you continue this walk weekly and nice to hear that you haven't been directly affected by antisemitism. As a Rabbi, have you had people come to you with specific incidents and have you given them advice on how to proceed with the incident?

Rabbi Daniel Alder: Yes, I have, and the most common issue has been among students, whether in college or in high school, who have felt alienated from their friends or their classmates, because of the war and have felt that they had to hide their concern for Israel, or just not talk about the issue. Or some have actually felt sort of pushed aside by others who have championed the Palestinian cause. That's been the most common issue.

Hannah: Yes, I definitely agree with the idea that this is the most common issue, especially on college campuses.

Rabbi Daniel Alder: Right college campuses, and even in high school, some have confided to me that sometimes it's a lack of knowledge about their own Judaism, and about Israel, but sometimes it's just feeling the negative vibes, I guess or the hate coming towards them for if they would proclaim themselves to be a Zionist.

Hannah: So, my next question is very on-topic. Do you have any specific strategies to combat antisemitism, both in the past few months and throughout your life?

Rabbi Daniel Alder: Good question. I mean, they're different. There's sort of like two tried approaches, one is sort of to be quiet and sort of push it under the rug and not deal with it. And the other is to speak out loudly against it and make a fuss when it occurs. And both strategies have their pluses and minuses. But most people will say that pushing it under the rug doesn't work in the long run, that it's like any contagious disease, and it's better to expose it to the light of day than not to. So I personally am not one, despite walking around every Saturday with this group, I'm not a big one for demonstrations, but I do think it needs to be called out when it's seen. And so I think at the risk of being seen as overly complaining, I think it's still worth the Jewish communities standing up and complaining, when it's justified and calling it out

Hannah: And then finally, is there anything else that you would like to touch on that we have not spoken about yet?

Rabbi Daniel Alder: Yeah, I guess I would really push for greater education for Jews. And there are Jews that are educated and actually, you know some anti-Israel on these issues and that's fine as long as their educated and one can be anti the Israeli government or their policies, or even that it's not all black and white for somebody to support Israel and be supportive of some of the government policies, but not all the government policies and things are much more complicated and messy in the middle. And that's where most of us need to be not on either experienced side but in the middle, trying to understand the complexity of the situation and show others that things aren't so black and white, and those who are very critical of Israel or push anti semitic ideas should know that. One, not only does it need to be exposed, as I said before, but things can be complicated and it's not these are not simple matters. There's a lot of history to understand before one can jump to assumptions.

Hannah: Great, thank you so much for answering all my questions!