How do you deal with antisemitism?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I choose not to be a wilting flower. Antisemitism isn't a top-10 risk to health and safety.

Right, unless you happen to be in the crosshairs of a violent antisemite -- like in Boulder, in DC, or at the Tree of Life Synagogue.

The truth is anyone who is living a Jewish life -- going to synagogue, Jewish centers etc. -- feel the threat b/c there are always cops and security and we sometimes get threats. I mean, in Montreal, the same synagogue has been firebombed twice in the past two years. If you do not feel any threat of antisemitism, it is probably because you are not engaged in public Jewish life.

Eh, I go to shul more Saturdays than not, and usually, I don’t personally feel that I’m in any real physical danger there. That’s what the metal detectors and cops are there to prevent, right?

Why do you think all of this is needed exactly if not precisely because there is a threat?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I choose not to be a wilting flower. Antisemitism isn't a top-10 risk to health and safety.

Right, unless you happen to be in the crosshairs of a violent antisemite -- like in Boulder, in DC, or at the Tree of Life Synagogue.

The truth is anyone who is living a Jewish life -- going to synagogue, Jewish centers etc. -- feel the threat b/c there are always cops and security and we sometimes get threats. I mean, in Montreal, the same synagogue has been firebombed twice in the past two years. If you do not feel any threat of antisemitism, it is probably because you are not engaged in public Jewish life.

Eh, I go to shul more Saturdays than not, and usually, I don’t personally feel that I’m in any real physical danger there. That’s what the metal detectors and cops are there to prevent, right?

That makes sense. People have widely varying ranges of personal senses of security. Personally I am on edge knowing that the last two attacks were thoroughly planned and security probably could not have made a difference. It’s also just sad to me to have to spend the money on guards instead of on other things.

[Anonymous]

Apparently I need to carry a fire blanket now. That’s just great.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I choose not to be a wilting flower. Antisemitism isn't a top-10 risk to health and safety.

Right, unless you happen to be in the crosshairs of a violent antisemite -- like in Boulder, in DC, or at the Tree of Life Synagogue.

The truth is anyone who is living a Jewish life -- going to synagogue, Jewish centers etc. -- feel the threat b/c there are always cops and security and we sometimes get threats. I mean, in Montreal, the same synagogue has been firebombed twice in the past two years. If you do not feel any threat of antisemitism, it is probably because you are not engaged in public Jewish life.

Eh, I go to shul more Saturdays than not, and usually, I don’t personally feel that I’m in any real physical danger there. That’s what the metal detectors and cops are there to prevent, right?

Why do you think all of this is needed exactly if not precisely because there is a threat?

I didn’t say I don’t think there’s any threat. I said I don’t feel like I’m in danger.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I choose not to be a wilting flower. Antisemitism isn't a top-10 risk to health and safety.

Right, unless you happen to be in the crosshairs of a violent antisemite -- like in Boulder, in DC, or at the Tree of Life Synagogue.

The truth is anyone who is living a Jewish life -- going to synagogue, Jewish centers etc. -- feel the threat b/c there are always cops and security and we sometimes get threats. I mean, in Montreal, the same synagogue has been firebombed twice in the past two years. If you do not feel any threat of antisemitism, it is probably because you are not engaged in public Jewish life.

Eh, I go to shul more Saturdays than not, and usually, I don’t personally feel that I’m in any real physical danger there. That’s what the metal detectors and cops are there to prevent, right?

That makes sense. People have widely varying ranges of personal senses of security. Personally I am on edge knowing that the last two attacks were thoroughly planned and security probably could not have made a difference. It’s also just sad to me to have to spend the money on guards instead of on other things.

True, though my synagogue has been charging an extra security fee since the Tree of Life shooting, so while money is fungible, I feel like they’ve mostly covered those costs that way.

[Anonymous]

I'm typically not personally/directly experiencing antisemitism in my everyday life. I'm not quiet about the fact that I'm Jewish and take opportunities to teach others about Judaism. I have a Jewish job, so anytime I'm talking about my work, it comes up. I give in Jewish amounts (multiples of 18) to end of school collections for teacher gifts, which most recently prompted a whole conversation with another parent about gematria (the number/letter system in Hebrew that ultimately leads to the idea that 18 = life). So, if someone is going to be antisemitic around me, I've established myself as someone who is going to teach something about Judaism when given the opportunity.

I see antisemitism not directed at me pretty regularly. There's a mom at my child's elementary school who wears a keffiyah and a hat with the outline of Israel in a watermelon pattern at school pickup everyday. I don't know her and my kid doesn't know her kid, so I leave it alone (I do give her some side-eye when she's not looking). Similarly, there was a family at a small local music festival last week wearing t-shirts with bombs over a watermelon Israel who I side-eyed and then ignored (beyond knowing where they were in relation to my family in case they became a safety concern).

For a few months after October 7, I was seeing antisemitism masquerading as antizionism from some of my college friends online (stuff like "from the river to the sea" and calling the 10/7 attack "resistance"). They have mostly unfriended me at this point, which is fine. Don't read the comments from internet strangers, especially on Instagram; it's just a cesspool of antisemitic hate that will make you spiral and lose all faith in humanity.

Antisemitism in the news (like the DC shooting and the Boulder fire-bombing) is hard, because it's not something I'm experiencing personally or directly, but it feels like an attack on us anyway. I usually share some news on my social media about it to raise awareness among the people who know me that this stuff is happening to Jews. There's not really more that I can do.

[Anonymous]

I say: “Do you know that what you just said is anti-semitic?” and just look at the person.

Doing this made some relatives so angry that we have not spoken in 25 years.

[Anonymous]

Call it out as racism whether it comes from the Left or Right. Get together with other Jews. Spend as much time as I can in Israel advocating for return of hostages and end of the war. Give the talk to my kids. Explain what being a dhimmi was. Talk about our family history in the Levant and on modern-day Israel. Explain Ashkenormativity and colorism within the Jewish community and how that is weaponized in and outside the Jewish community. Learn about other displaced indigenous groups throughout the Levant and Middle East and how our stories interweave.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I'm typically not personally/directly experiencing antisemitism in my everyday life. I'm not quiet about the fact that I'm Jewish and take opportunities to teach others about Judaism. I have a Jewish job, so anytime I'm talking about my work, it comes up. I give in Jewish amounts (multiples of 18) to end of school collections for teacher gifts, which most recently prompted a whole conversation with another parent about gematria (the number/letter system in Hebrew that ultimately leads to the idea that 18 = life). So, if someone is going to be antisemitic around me, I've established myself as someone who is going to teach something about Judaism when given the opportunity.

I see antisemitism not directed at me pretty regularly. There's a mom at my child's elementary school who wears a keffiyah and a hat with the outline of Israel in a watermelon pattern at school pickup everyday. I don't know her and my kid doesn't know her kid, so I leave it alone (I do give her some side-eye when she's not looking). Similarly, there was a family at a small local music festival last week wearing t-shirts with bombs over a watermelon Israel who I side-eyed and then ignored (beyond knowing where they were in relation to my family in case they became a safety concern).

For a few months after October 7, I was seeing antisemitism masquerading as antizionism from some of my college friends online (stuff like "from the river to the sea" and calling the 10/7 attack "resistance"). They have mostly unfriended me at this point, which is fine. Don't read the comments from internet strangers, especially on Instagram; it's just a cesspool of antisemitic hate that will make you spiral and lose all faith in humanity.

Antisemitism in the news (like the DC shooting and the Boulder fire-bombing) is hard, because it's not something I'm experiencing personally or directly, but it feels like an attack on us anyway. I usually share some news on my social media about it to raise awareness among the people who know me that this stuff is happening to Jews. There's not really more that I can do.

For what it's worth, I personally would not consider the bolded line to be an example of antisemitism, though I probably also wouldn't see much point in discussing my (complicated and largely extremely critical, but rooted in Judaism) opinions about Israel with this person.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I am Jewish, but many of my Jewish friends are pretty sure that if you don’t support the the killing in Gaza, you must be anti Semitic. I do not support this war, so...

I am watching these friends get played by this administration in such a way that they cannot see anything clearly. They really think he is supporting Jews. He is not.

What a strange time in this world to be living in.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I'm typically not personally/directly experiencing antisemitism in my everyday life. I'm not quiet about the fact that I'm Jewish and take opportunities to teach others about Judaism. I have a Jewish job, so anytime I'm talking about my work, it comes up. I give in Jewish amounts (multiples of 18) to end of school collections for teacher gifts, which most recently prompted a whole conversation with another parent about gematria (the number/letter system in Hebrew that ultimately leads to the idea that 18 = life). So, if someone is going to be antisemitic around me, I've established myself as someone who is going to teach something about Judaism when given the opportunity.

I see antisemitism not directed at me pretty regularly. There's a mom at my child's elementary school who wears a keffiyah and a hat with the outline of Israel in a watermelon pattern at school pickup everyday. I don't know her and my kid doesn't know her kid, so I leave it alone (I do give her some side-eye when she's not looking). Similarly, there was a family at a small local music festival last week wearing t-shirts with bombs over a watermelon Israel who I side-eyed and then ignored (beyond knowing where they were in relation to my family in case they became a safety concern).

For a few months after October 7, I was seeing antisemitism masquerading as antizionism from some of my college friends online (stuff like "from the river to the sea" and calling the 10/7 attack "resistance"). They have mostly unfriended me at this point, which is fine. Don't read the comments from internet strangers, especially on Instagram; it's just a cesspool of antisemitic hate that will make you spiral and lose all faith in humanity.

Antisemitism in the news (like the DC shooting and the Boulder fire-bombing) is hard, because it's not something I'm experiencing personally or directly, but it feels like an attack on us anyway. I usually share some news on my social media about it to raise awareness among the people who know me that this stuff is happening to Jews. There's not really more that I can do.

For what it's worth, I personally would not consider the bolded line to be an example of antisemitism, though I probably also wouldn't see much point in discussing my (complicated and largely extremely critical, but rooted in Judaism) opinions about Israel with this person.

That's a fair point and in a vacuum, they probably aren't. I think the keffiyah and watermelon Israel outline are symbolic of an ideology that calls to remove Jews "from the river to the sea" and to "globalize the intifada" - both of which are calls for violence against Jews worldwide. Without talking to the woman to get a sense of the nuance of her position, we'll probably never know. Given our current climate, I tend to err on the side of it being antisemitic if I were to try to scratch the surface, and just keep my distance.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I'm typically not personally/directly experiencing antisemitism in my everyday life. I'm not quiet about the fact that I'm Jewish and take opportunities to teach others about Judaism. I have a Jewish job, so anytime I'm talking about my work, it comes up. I give in Jewish amounts (multiples of 18) to end of school collections for teacher gifts, which most recently prompted a whole conversation with another parent about gematria (the number/letter system in Hebrew that ultimately leads to the idea that 18 = life). So, if someone is going to be antisemitic around me, I've established myself as someone who is going to teach something about Judaism when given the opportunity.

I see antisemitism not directed at me pretty regularly. There's a mom at my child's elementary school who wears a keffiyah and a hat with the outline of Israel in a watermelon pattern at school pickup everyday. I don't know her and my kid doesn't know her kid, so I leave it alone (I do give her some side-eye when she's not looking). Similarly, there was a family at a small local music festival last week wearing t-shirts with bombs over a watermelon Israel who I side-eyed and then ignored (beyond knowing where they were in relation to my family in case they became a safety concern).

For a few months after October 7, I was seeing antisemitism masquerading as antizionism from some of my college friends online (stuff like "from the river to the sea" and calling the 10/7 attack "resistance"). They have mostly unfriended me at this point, which is fine. Don't read the comments from internet strangers, especially on Instagram; it's just a cesspool of antisemitic hate that will make you spiral and lose all faith in humanity.

Antisemitism in the news (like the DC shooting and the Boulder fire-bombing) is hard, because it's not something I'm experiencing personally or directly, but it feels like an attack on us anyway. I usually share some news on my social media about it to raise awareness among the people who know me that this stuff is happening to Jews. There's not really more that I can do.

For what it's worth, I personally would not consider the bolded line to be an example of antisemitism, though I probably also wouldn't see much point in discussing my (complicated and largely extremely critical, but rooted in Judaism) opinions about Israel with this person.

That's a fair point and in a vacuum, they probably aren't. I think the keffiyah and watermelon Israel outline are symbolic of an ideology that calls to remove Jews "from the river to the sea" and to "globalize the intifada" - both of which are calls for violence against Jews worldwide. Without talking to the woman to get a sense of the nuance of her position, we'll probably never know. Given our current climate, I tend to err on the side of it being antisemitic if I were to try to scratch the surface, and just keep my distance.

I have a keffiya, and probably have the same watermelon sweatshirt (but I'm not the person in pp's comment). I have also removed vile posters by Patriot Front that were posted in my neighborhood - some of their posters were explicitly anti-Semitic. I took them down. They made me angry and sick.

My keffiya was given to me by a former roommate that was an international student from the West Bank, a couple of decades ago. I wear it in honor of her and with respect to Palestinians.

My watermelon sweatshirt with the outline of Israel... I mean look, I do not think Israel should have ever been created. Creating a new country that disregards the living population - and their land and rights, was an awful thing to do. I do not support theocracies, period. The idea of recreating an "ancestral homeland" from thousands of years ago is ludicrous. As is thinking you have some entitlement to that land because of alleged ancestors from thousands of years ago. I include my own ancestry in that - who also faced violence, war, and persecution. I find it insane to think that I should have a right to that land and resources, dozens of centuries later. Even 1-2 centuries later. But Palestinians? Those people are still there. It is still their home.

I support the right of Jews to be free, safe, and respected everywhere, just as i support the right of all people to be free, safe, and respected everywhere. I am aware that real anti-Semitism exists (ie, Patriot Front), and we should be working to combat that kind of awful hatred. Isolating people into respective, divided "homelands" is not a lasting solution towards peace. It is the opposite of what achieves peace. We all have to learn to live together.

If Israel were a democracy that had fully equal rights and rules for ALL people, that would be wonderful. But that's not what it is, and I will never support the country it is now, or was created as.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I'm typically not personally/directly experiencing antisemitism in my everyday life. I'm not quiet about the fact that I'm Jewish and take opportunities to teach others about Judaism. I have a Jewish job, so anytime I'm talking about my work, it comes up. I give in Jewish amounts (multiples of 18) to end of school collections for teacher gifts, which most recently prompted a whole conversation with another parent about gematria (the number/letter system in Hebrew that ultimately leads to the idea that 18 = life). So, if someone is going to be antisemitic around me, I've established myself as someone who is going to teach something about Judaism when given the opportunity.

I see antisemitism not directed at me pretty regularly. There's a mom at my child's elementary school who wears a keffiyah and a hat with the outline of Israel in a watermelon pattern at school pickup everyday. I don't know her and my kid doesn't know her kid, so I leave it alone (I do give her some side-eye when she's not looking). Similarly, there was a family at a small local music festival last week wearing t-shirts with bombs over a watermelon Israel who I side-eyed and then ignored (beyond knowing where they were in relation to my family in case they became a safety concern).

For a few months after October 7, I was seeing antisemitism masquerading as antizionism from some of my college friends online (stuff like "from the river to the sea" and calling the 10/7 attack "resistance"). They have mostly unfriended me at this point, which is fine. Don't read the comments from internet strangers, especially on Instagram; it's just a cesspool of antisemitic hate that will make you spiral and lose all faith in humanity.

Antisemitism in the news (like the DC shooting and the Boulder fire-bombing) is hard, because it's not something I'm experiencing personally or directly, but it feels like an attack on us anyway. I usually share some news on my social media about it to raise awareness among the people who know me that this stuff is happening to Jews. There's not really more that I can do.

For what it's worth, I personally would not consider the bolded line to be an example of antisemitism, though I probably also wouldn't see much point in discussing my (complicated and largely extremely critical, but rooted in Judaism) opinions about Israel with this person.

I don’t want to start another Israel post as there are many so may I ask why you use the word complicated? I only hear ‘it is complicated’ from Jewish friends when it comes to the depopulation agenda instituted by the Israeli government (with Israeli citizen support). What part is complicated?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I'm typically not personally/directly experiencing antisemitism in my everyday life. I'm not quiet about the fact that I'm Jewish and take opportunities to teach others about Judaism. I have a Jewish job, so anytime I'm talking about my work, it comes up. I give in Jewish amounts (multiples of 18) to end of school collections for teacher gifts, which most recently prompted a whole conversation with another parent about gematria (the number/letter system in Hebrew that ultimately leads to the idea that 18 = life). So, if someone is going to be antisemitic around me, I've established myself as someone who is going to teach something about Judaism when given the opportunity.

I see antisemitism not directed at me pretty regularly. There's a mom at my child's elementary school who wears a keffiyah and a hat with the outline of Israel in a watermelon pattern at school pickup everyday. I don't know her and my kid doesn't know her kid, so I leave it alone (I do give her some side-eye when she's not looking). Similarly, there was a family at a small local music festival last week wearing t-shirts with bombs over a watermelon Israel who I side-eyed and then ignored (beyond knowing where they were in relation to my family in case they became a safety concern).

For a few months after October 7, I was seeing antisemitism masquerading as antizionism from some of my college friends online (stuff like "from the river to the sea" and calling the 10/7 attack "resistance"). They have mostly unfriended me at this point, which is fine. Don't read the comments from internet strangers, especially on Instagram; it's just a cesspool of antisemitic hate that will make you spiral and lose all faith in humanity.

Antisemitism in the news (like the DC shooting and the Boulder fire-bombing) is hard, because it's not something I'm experiencing personally or directly, but it feels like an attack on us anyway. I usually share some news on my social media about it to raise awareness among the people who know me that this stuff is happening to Jews. There's not really more that I can do.

For what it's worth, I personally would not consider the bolded line to be an example of antisemitism, though I probably also wouldn't see much point in discussing my (complicated and largely extremely critical, but rooted in Judaism) opinions about Israel with this person.

I don’t want to start another Israel post as there are many so may I ask why you use the word complicated? I only hear ‘it is complicated’ from Jewish friends when it comes to the depopulation agenda instituted by the Israeli government (with Israeli citizen support). What part is complicated?

I mean your use of depopulation agenda is pretty loaded, so asking Jews to do your emotional labor for you is an interesting choice.

If Jews are indigenous, Arabs, Alawites, Druze, Armenians are also indigenous. If Jews are “settler colonialists,” Palestinians are also settler colonialists. Jews lived in the area before Zionism. They were mass-murdered, kidnapped, raped, etc. before Zionism in the Levant. Many Jews immigrated to the land of Israel beginning in the 1800s. Many Palestinians immigrated to the land of Israel beginning in the 1900s. Many people calling for free Palestine are calling for depopulation of Jews. Some are not. Each side needs to do a better job of controlling its crazies. Each side needs new leadership. Neither side likely has your immense privilege.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I'm typically not personally/directly experiencing antisemitism in my everyday life. I'm not quiet about the fact that I'm Jewish and take opportunities to teach others about Judaism. I have a Jewish job, so anytime I'm talking about my work, it comes up. I give in Jewish amounts (multiples of 18) to end of school collections for teacher gifts, which most recently prompted a whole conversation with another parent about gematria (the number/letter system in Hebrew that ultimately leads to the idea that 18 = life). So, if someone is going to be antisemitic around me, I've established myself as someone who is going to teach something about Judaism when given the opportunity.

I see antisemitism not directed at me pretty regularly. There's a mom at my child's elementary school who wears a keffiyah and a hat with the outline of Israel in a watermelon pattern at school pickup everyday. I don't know her and my kid doesn't know her kid, so I leave it alone (I do give her some side-eye when she's not looking). Similarly, there was a family at a small local music festival last week wearing t-shirts with bombs over a watermelon Israel who I side-eyed and then ignored (beyond knowing where they were in relation to my family in case they became a safety concern).

For a few months after October 7, I was seeing antisemitism masquerading as antizionism from some of my college friends online (stuff like "from the river to the sea" and calling the 10/7 attack "resistance"). They have mostly unfriended me at this point, which is fine. Don't read the comments from internet strangers, especially on Instagram; it's just a cesspool of antisemitic hate that will make you spiral and lose all faith in humanity.

Antisemitism in the news (like the DC shooting and the Boulder fire-bombing) is hard, because it's not something I'm experiencing personally or directly, but it feels like an attack on us anyway. I usually share some news on my social media about it to raise awareness among the people who know me that this stuff is happening to Jews. There's not really more that I can do.

For what it's worth, I personally would not consider the bolded line to be an example of antisemitism, though I probably also wouldn't see much point in discussing my (complicated and largely extremely critical, but rooted in Judaism) opinions about Israel with this person.

I don’t want to start another Israel post as there are many so may I ask why you use the word complicated? I only hear ‘it is complicated’ from Jewish friends when it comes to the depopulation agenda instituted by the Israeli government (with Israeli citizen support). What part is complicated?

It's always complicated trying to justify a settler colonial project that was born out of ethnic cleansing and terrorism.