Antisemitism doesn’t always appear in its most extreme forms as we have been seeing daily on social media. More often, it shows up in subtle comments, dismissals, or “reasonable-sounding” critiques that leave Jewish people feeling erased, singled out, or unsafe. These moments are called microaggressions—brief, everyday exchanges that send demeaning or hostile messages to marginalized communities.

Since October 8, 2023, I have experienced many of these microaggressions firsthand. During this time, I was constantly in a state of survival, primarily experiencing fight or flee responses. Almost two years later, I continue to navigate survival instincts, but my healing is coming from having a regulated nervous system, in part by writing and reflecting on my experiences. I grieve the life I had before October 8th, having lost many friends, yet I also celebrate the new friendships I have built—this is the essence of Jewish joy.

I am the Co-Founder of the Trauma Informed Learning Alliance, which I had no idea I would need when it launched 10 years ago—yet it has become a crucial space for learning, healing, and advocacy.

A trauma-informed lens recognizes that these microaggressions can trigger historical, intergenerational, and personal trauma. It prioritizes safety, validation, and empowerment for those affected.

The following examples are drawn from my lived experiences. They highlight real-world ways antisemitism shows up— in professional, academic, and clinical spaces—and offer trauma-informed strategies for responding.

1. “I don’t know how to feel about you being a Zionist.”

Why it’s harmful: This frames a Jewish person’s connection to Israel as something suspicious or morally questionable, demanding justification for their identity and beliefs.

Trauma-informed response: “Zionism is simply the right of Jews to self-determination and to live in our ancestral homeland. For many, including myself, being a Zionist is part of identity—it doesn’t require approval to exist. In fact, a 2024 survey by the Jewish People Policy Institute found that over 80% of Jews identify as Zionists.

2. “If we are going to have an ADEI training about antisemitism, we need to have someone speak about Islamophobia simultaneously.”

Why it’s harmful: This creates a “whataboutism” that dilutes attention to antisemitism. While other forms of discrimination are important, tying them together can minimize the urgency of antisemitism and the fact that Jews are the number one victims of hate crimes per capita in the US Comparing Jew hate and anti-Muslim hate in a manner that suggests they are analogous can perpetuate harmful antisemitic stereotypes, such as the notion that Jews have dual loyalty to Israel or must justify Middle Eastern conflicts. Jew hate and anti-Muslim hate are distinct in their origins, history, and impact, both globally and in America. They are not opposites. While there is significant and concerning anti-Muslim hate, official FBI statistics indicate that, historically, it has been significantly less prevalent than antisemitism in the US. Both types of hate crimes are serious and must be addressed, but their scale and impact are different. A more comprehensive approach to addressing these issues should focus on their unique contexts rather than conflating them in a way that detracts from targeted ADEI efforts.

Trauma-informed response: “Both Jew hate and anti-Muslim hate deserve serious attention. But combining them every time antisemitism is raised erases the unique harms Jews face. We can hold space for both without diluting either.”

3. “When I presented on Trauma Informed Mindfulness in Times of War in Israel and a post went up, the comments were filled with vitriol and violence.”

Why it’s harmful: Online vitriol is a form of harassment meant to intimidate Jews into silence. What should be a conversation about healing became a platform for hate.

Trauma-informed response:

• Maintain safety: Avoid engaging with harmful comments if they feel threatening. 
• Validate your feelings: Anger, fear, and frustration are common reactions.
• Seek support: Trusted peers, therapists or mentors can help validate experiences and provide guidance.

4. “You are too strong about antisemitism being included in ADEI work.”

 Why it’s harmful: This dismisses Jewish advocacy for inclusion in equity work as excessive or unreasonable, discouraging Jews—especially women—from speaking up.

Trauma-informed response: “Insisting that antisemitism and Jewish voices be included in ADEI work is ensuring Jewish students and communities are not left out of equity and inclusion efforts. It’s in our DNA to advocate, question, and educate.”

5. “You are privileged.”

Why it’s harmful: This statement oversimplifies Jewish identity and ignores its complexity. Jews are racialized in contradictory ways: to the right, Jews are not seen as white, while to the left, Ashkenazi Jews are perceived as “too white.” Meanwhile, there are Sephardi Jews, Mizrahi Jews, Ethiopian Jews,Yemenite Jews, Karaite Jews, Romaniote Jews, Bukharan Jews, Mountain Jews and Indian Jews whose identities are erased by such comments. This framing ignores both Jewish diversity and the persistence of antisemitism across all racial categories.

Trauma-informed response: “Jewish identity is richly diverse, encompassing Ashkenazi, Sephardi, Mizrahi, Ethiopian, Yemenite, Romaniote, and other Jewish communities. Antisemitism affects Jews across all cultural, ethnic, and geographic backgrounds, regardless of how society or politics chooses to define or categorize them.”

6. “A therapist posted that Israel is starving Gazans, and I was the client.”

Why it’s harmful: Therapists hold power in the healing relationship. When they post charged, propaganda about Jews or Israel, Jewish clients may feel unsafe or invalidated.

Trauma-informed response:

• Prioritize safety: Your therapeutic space should feel secure. Discuss the importance of this with your therapist if you feel safe to do so.
• Empower choice: Clients can request a new therapist or report concerns if necessary.

7. “When I advocated for Jews to be part of ADEI, I was told I was ‘too strong,’ that I was accusing people of antisemitism, and that I was dividing the department—when I had hoped it would be received the same way George Floyd’s death was, when I advocated to include antiracism in the curriculum. You cannot tell a Jewish woman she is too strong.”

 Why it’s harmful: This response delegitimizes Jewish advocacy, holding Jews to a double standard compared to other groups that have been marginalized. It also uses gendered stereotypes to silence Jewish women.

Trauma-informed response: “Culturally, Jewish women are often raised to advocate, debate, question, and educate. When I speak about antisemitism, it comes from wanting safety and equity for Jewish students and colleagues.Being told that I am too strong as a  Jewish woman is a microaggression. It diminishes lived experiences and erases the urgency of our reality. Strength, in this context, is often weaponized—used to silence grief, dismiss trauma, or imply that Jewish women do not need care, safety, or compassion. From a trauma-informed perspective, this statement denies both vulnerability and humanity, reinforcing the very isolation that microaggressions create. Antisemitism deserves the same recognition as other forms of hate and oppression.”

8. “I support you but can’t support you in public.”

Why it’s harmful: This statement minimizes the importance of publicly standing against antisemitism, implying that Jewish advocacy is too controversial or risky. Jews make up only 0.2% of the global population and have been losing the war against misinformation and hate. Conditional support reinforces isolation and vulnerability.

Trauma-informed response: “Visible, public support is essential for real safety and inclusion. When support is private or conditional, it reinforces the idea that Jewish voices should be hidden and leaves our community exposed. Advocacy must be affirmed and visible, especially given our small numbers and the challenges we face from persistent misinformation.”

Moving Forward Through a Trauma-Informed Lens

These examples are not abstract—they happened to me.  Microaggressions may seem “small,” but for Jews, they are not isolated—they layer on top of each other and tap into a long history of exclusion.

Trauma-informed strategies for Jewish people:

• Empowerment: Your feelings are legitimate.
• Safety: Decide when and how to engage with microaggressions. Give your nervous system a break.
• Voice: Advocacy and Jewish activism are forms of resistance.

Trauma-informed strategies for allies:

• Interrupt harm safely: Even subtle comments matter.
• Believe lived experiences: When Jews name harm, listen and acknowledge.
• Support community safety: Stand alongside Jewish colleagues, students, and friends.

True inclusion means taking concrete steps: including Jewish representation in ADEI work, incorporating antisemitism into required implicit bias trainings, creating Jewish affinity groups, and starting Kalaniyot Chapters. Applying a trauma-informed lens ensures these actions respect, support, and empower Jewish voices to lead and educate