Dear Antisemitism

Dear Antisemitism, 

I never thought that you and I would dance the tango.

I thought you only existed in the past like in blood libels, Nazi Germany, or my parents fleeing their home in Iran. But you, the pesky virus that you are transformed and persevered and is now in the mainstream, how fun…

Yes, I know a lot of us are doing well today, my family included, many of us living the American dream…but that doesn’t lessen the pain. Well, at least not for me.

That same sense of pity and longing to help that I as a “good progressive” convey to my fellow minorities is not typically reciprocated. I stand up for others, yet, at times I feel that we as Jews are just standing alone. 

In my classes, I rarely hear about antisemitism yet we hear time and time again about the other struggles minorities are facing today. Antisemitism is rising, but, for many others, it isn’t as urgent. Many don’t realize the fear many of us schlep as Jews living in 2019 in the United States of America.

For thousands of years we were persecuted, I really hoped that we were going to be the Jews that were spared the effects of antisemitism. 

But, antisemitic incidents are at near-historic levels. Yet, this information is usually just shared to people within the Jewish community, unless it involves a mass shooting.

Antisemitism, you know we are resilient and we have persevered much worse, but this new Jewish year, can we please have a break? Can we please pray in peace?

Sincerely,

A Jewish teen who has had enough