by Matthew Kaufman, ADL Summer Intern
Rabbi Moses Ben Maimon, commonly known as Maimonides, was a Jewish theologian whose works are well known for their ethical and spiritual insight. Perhaps the medieval world’s most influential thinker, he spent his later years in North Africa, writing prolifically and serving as a personal physician for Saladin, the legendary Muslim crusader. Although numerous books, essays, and even encyclopedias have been composed in order to explore Maimonides’s ideas, a little-known quote of his holds unique insight into my experience as a summer intern at the Anti-Defamation League.
The quote, which I stumbled upon while reading Julie Salamon’s book, Rambam’s Ladder, goes like this:
“We each decide whether to make ourselves intelligent or ignorant, compassionate or cruel, generous or miserly. No one forces us. No one decides for us, no one drags us along one path or the other. We are responsible for what we are.”
At first glance, Maimonides’s words are nothing special. You might think, “Sure—our lives are filled with different choices, and everyone’s ‘life path’ is their end result. We ALL know that.” But what is our responsibility to helping others make the right choices? Each day provides us with new opportunities to transform negative qualities into positive ones, both on an individual and social level. How can we aid others in choosing whether to make themselves intelligent instead of ignorant, compassionate instead of cruel, and generous instead of miserly?
At the Philadelphia Anti-Defamation League, we do this every day.
ADL’s education team transforms ignorance into intelligence through its No Place for Hate program. I had the opportunity to attend the inaugural No Place for Hate Designation Celebration, an event that recognizes over 200 schools in the region for their work promoting diversity and inclusivity.
ADL’s regional operations team transforms cruelty into compassion through advocacy and outreach. I attended the annual ADL Supreme Court Review in July, where I learned how ADL lobbies the Supreme Court to uphold civil rights for all.
ADL’s development team brings out everyone’s much-needed generosity—generosity of resources, generosity of spirit, and generosity of time (ADL, according to an old joke, is short for “All Day Long”).
In a world where prejudice leaps forth (to paraphrase Bob Dylan’s “My Back Pages”), the choices we make and help others make matter. That is why I consider myself lucky not only to have participated in the ADL’s transformative work, but to have been transformed by it. In the words of Benjamin Franklin, “Tell me and I forget, teach me and I remember, involve me and I learn.”
After being so involved, I have no doubt that Maimonides would have approved of my choice to intern at ADL.