Ari Mittleman didn’t set out to write a book.
But after the horrors of the Pittsburgh synagogue shooting in October of 2018 and the killing of five people in a kosher grocery the following year in Jersey City, New Jersey, he felt like he needed to express himself about the rise of antisemitism.
“Growing up in Allentown [Pennsylvania], walking to synagogue each Saturday and attending the second oldest Jewish day school in the commonwealth, I could never fathom the possibility of a tragedy like the attacks in Pittsburgh or Jersey City,” Mittleman wrote. “Not once do I remember a concern about our community’s security.”
Now a Pikesville resident and consultant/political strategist, Mittleman recently published his first book, “Paths of the Righteous: Stories of Heroism, Humanity and Hope” (Gefen Publishing House). The book hit the shelves in Israel shortly before Chanukah and is now available on Amazon.
“Paths of the Righteous” tells the stories of eight non-Jews – four men and women coming from a variety of backgrounds and nations — who demonstrated unparalleled support for Israel and the Jewish people during perilous times.
“With the understandable increase in anxiety about the return of antisemitism in our time, it is comforting and inspiring to read Ari Mittleman’s stories of eight leaders who have taken the path of righteousness and harmony in the 21st century,” wrote former vice presidential nominee and Sen. Joseph I. Lieberman (I-Connecticut). “In this book, Ari makes the case not to ignore persistent antisemitism but to be optimistic that people of good will can act together to defeat bigotry.”
Mittleman said his research for the book found that “incidents of antisemitic violence have increased to unprecedented levels. According to the FBI 2020 hate crimes report, Jewish Americans were the target of 58% of all religiously motivated crimes.” Mittleman’s connection to the 11 people murdered in Pittsburgh resonated particularly deeply. While working for Sen. Bob Casey Jr. (D-Pennsylvania) for eight years, Mittleman spent a considerable amount of time with Pittsburgh’s Jewish community.
“These were friends who joined me on the dance floor at my wedding,” he said. “Others had traveled to Israel with me, and some provided home-cooked meals after long cross-state drives. Thus, to grapple with the sleepless, emotional nights after the massacre in Pittsburgh, I felt compelled to begin putting thoughts on paper.”
Amid the bleak headlines, Mittleman said he sought positive, hopeful stories. He found them in what he describes as “eight non-Jewish luminaries that uplift our community while inspiring their own.
“Largely unheralded and not in headlines, their stories can inspire us.”
Those featured in the book chose to condemn violence and defend a people whose very existence was under attack, Mittleman said. He said his biggest challenge was doing justice to each person’s story and efforts since “each deserves his or her standalone book.”
Mittleman said the most rewarding part of researching and writing the book was meeting the individuals, learning from them and allowing “them to serve as lights during times of darkness. … These righteous individuals have traveled their own unique paths. Never was it the easiest or most lucrative path, but they traveled on it because it was the right thing to do. …
“Our heroes who give us hope shine a light through dark times,” Mittleman said. “Throughout history, Jewish leaders have shown our community and humanity what it means to rise to the occasion — to heed the directive of the Prophet Isaiah to be a light unto the nations.”
Ari Mittleman appeared in a Baltimore Jewish Council webinar on Tuesday, Feb. 8.
Tomer Nusinov is a Jmore editorial staff intern.
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