The Global Citizen- Anti Semitism in the flesh

 

The Global Citizen is a joint project of New Voices and the American Jewish World Service (AJWS). Throughout the year, a group of former AJWS volunteers will offer their take on global justice, Judaism and international development. Opinions expressed by Global Citizen bloggers do not necessarily represent AJWS.

Yesterday I had one of those days that throws your for a loop. I was shaken a bit from the ivory tower and forced to reflect. Our weekly Hillel on campus event, Jews and Brews, is a happy hour discussion group intended to foster a place for Jewish students to feel comfortable and meet others. It is one of our regularly successful events. It has in the past, however, also reminded us of the fact when you go to a public university in the middle of a city as classically strange as Portland, things aren’t all challah and bagel debates when it comes to being a ‘Place for Judaism’.

So the evening begins, and it is mostly regulars, but there is a woman who is about 35, wearing a t shirt that says something about being a public enemy and starts her introduction to the group by telling us how the women’s center refused her as a volunteer because they told her she was mentally unfit. A bad start. We give her the benefit of the doubt and the conversation shifts to something lighter. About 20 awkward comments later the woman begins asking me specific questions about Judaic practice. As I answer these questions regularly, I begin giving her the dry technical answers, explaining why we rest on the Sabbath and don’t mix milk and meat, etc.

From there it quickly goes downhill as the woman begins asking me why Jews are all such liars, and how a faith can be steeped in so much intentional deception.  I’m shocked. Being a leader in the organization, I try to play diplomatically. It keeps going. My heart is racing; others at the table are shocked also. She gets louder and more offensive. Eventually, after several minutes, I decide enough is enough and tell the woman she can speak with a Rabbi who is more qualified, but this is not the setting for the conversation. Sheepishly she leaves. Baruch Hashem.

I have to admit, having grown up in a small town and being the only Jew, I’ve learned to shake off more than I probably should. I really like to see the best in people, and like to sincerely believe that all people need is a dose of information. I can’t ignore anymore however, anti-Semitism does exist still. We aren’t past it, and there are people, like this woman, whose hate cannot be cured with kindness. It is something inconvenient to have realized that there is still so much work to be done, and so much we as a people still have to work through, but it is also oddly invigorating.

This woman and experience in general set off my very human fight or flight response. We as young Jewish leaders need to fight to make safe spaces for people to embrace their Jewish identities. There will be anti Semitism, and we need to learn to stand against it, and thrive despite it. We need to make sure that in every aspect of or lives, whether in our professions, studies, even travels abroad, we are a face of Judaism, and part of the fight against intollerance.   No more shaking it off and leaving for others to deal with. I am almost grateful to this woman for the shock of electricity she provided me to get me going, and hope I do not forget the way she made me feel yesterday. I hope to remain vigilant that while feeling belittled for only a short time made me feel so disempowered, there are people around the world that have to live with the feeling of helplessness all the time.

Because I am corny enough to do so, I must end with a little wisdom from my old friends Peter, Paul and Mary, “We have come this far always believing that justice will somehow prevail….. This is our burden, and this is our promise, and this is why we will not faaiiilll.”