Antisemitism needs to be discussed more

Antisemitism is something that unfortunately almost everyone knows about. I’m fortunate enough to live in a community that has a large Jewish population, I spend my summers at a camp with a large Jewish population, and I spend my free time with my friends from BBYO (a Jewish teen movement group). So it is fair to say that in my everyday life, I don’t see a lot of antisemitism. But unfortunately, my phone connects me with people from all over the world, and not everyone is as accepting as my friends here in Cherry Hill. I’ve seen anti-Israel Instagram posts, I’ve watched YouTube videos of people vandalizing synagogues, and I’ve sympathized with other Jews across the globe as I watched news stories about Pittsburgh, Colleyville, and others.

When I think about my experiences with antisemitism, I don’t think about things I’ve been in the presence of. I think of the 63% of the world that doesn’t know that the Holocaust killed six million Jews. I think about the tears I’ve watched others cry in response to the hatred of others. I think about the time I sat in the sanctuary with my friends writing a school newsletter article speaking out against hate that we never expected to see in our lifetime. I’m tired of living in a world where we all try to shout over each other. It’s time we listen for a change.