I Vow to Speak Up

If you know me you know that  I am attached to my phone. I am constantly checking my social media handles and replying to emails as any millennial -who happens to be a journalism student- would do.  Lately, my heart aches every time I check Facebook, Instagram and even Twitter.  My newsfeed is filled with pictures, videos and news of the ongoing attacks that are happening in Israel right now.

Paris was attacked, and the whole world was talking about it. Endless posts on how horrible this is, pictures of emblematic places around the world displaying the French flag, and people changing their profile picture to support the victims. It hurts that a lot of innocent lives were lost during this attack and that the world has to presence events like this one, but it hurt more that when Jewish lives are taken, people remain silent.

People share images of the Eifel Tower and the news reports on the Paris attack. People share the images of the Mizzou students and all the walks and marches going on around the country. People share the news about the Boko Haram murderers, and the people of Kenya. People do not share the multiple stabbings, bombings and attacks that are happening now on Israel.

Today I woke up and saw that my Jewish friends posted videos and pictures about the latest attack. An American kid named Ezra Schwartz Z’L was brutally killed earlier today. He was volunteering in Israel, and was the victim of a terrorist attack. One of my closest friends here  at Drexel told me that he has mutual friends with Ezra; another friend told me that his friend was in the same car with Ezra when they were attacked.  Yet, no one besides my Jewish friends is sharing this.

My heart ached when I read the news, when my friends told me their stories and how sad they are about this. My heart ached more because the world is silent about this. How many lives do we need to lose before the world will condemn the attacks against Israel?  Why is the world sharing other events, when in Israel this happens daily? I refused to maintain silence when these events occur.

I condemn every kind of terrorism, regardless who the victim is. I vow to share, talk, and support the victims of different terrorist attacks around the world.  I vow to raise my voice against any act of discrimination and hatred. I vow to speak up.

First they came for the Socialists, and I did not speak out—
Because I was not a Socialist.

Then they came for the Trade Unionists, and I did not speak out—
Because I was not a Trade Unionist.

Then they came for the Jews, and I did not speak out—
Because I was not a Jew.

Then they came for me—and there was no one left to speak for me. – Martin Niemöller