Be The One

To Whom It May Concern,

I usually start out an email or letter with, “ I hope this finds you well” but I must admit I am struggling with that. Let’s just put that aside and get to the point quickly. I have a feeling that when you realize who wrote this I will lose your attention. Here it goes…I am Jewish. 

Still there? Have you deleted this yet? Are you rolling your eyes? Have you crumbled it up and thrown this out if it was printed? Are you filled with anger?  Are you curious about who I am? Or have you already decided? Are you afraid of me because others have told you to be? Do you want to know me but don’t want to admit it because the people you surround yourself with won’t like it? Maybe there is a tiny chance you are still reading. A person can hope. I am that person.

To be very honest, I should not care about your reasons for not liking me. But the thing is, I was taught to care and to listen. I can’t turn it off. The world has put me in a place I don’t want to be. A bubble. Some days it is hard to put one foot in front of the other. There is not much room in a bubble. It gets smaller each day as antisemitism gets bigger. It is like a volcano. It explodes, it spreads, it burns everything in its path. 

Let me tell you something. Bubbles break and volcanoes are layered as deep as we are. They create the foundation we walk on. They allow life to thrive. That right there is the core of who we are. I will always find a way to make something that others want to tarnish shine again. Jewish people are human beings. We have the right to breathe, to walk, to talk, to dance, to sing, to be free, and to exist. We have been through it all. We will continue to break bubbles and cool the lava. Our capacity to love and to go on is our greatest strength and it is deep within each of us. Stop trying to take it. You can’t. 

If you are still there take a look in the mirror. You have a choice to make. You can continue to be a part of the world’s need to destroy Israel and Jewish people or you can step away. Be the one who shares this. Be the one who isn’t afraid to ask me who I am. Be the one who sits down and asks a question. One would be a good start. Be the one who will stand up and walk away from who you have been surrounded by and will walk towards the ones you should be with. Be the one who stops talking for a minute and listens.  

Be the one that I can email or see on the street and be able to greet and say “I hope this finds you well.”