To be a Jew today

To be a Jew today means looking over your shoulder in places and at times you never thought you would have to. 

To be a Jew today means losing friends in real life and on social media after they expose their intense anti-Israel views. 

To be a Jew today is to feel betrayed and abandoned by people you thought you knew and trusted.

To be a Jew today means to finally understand that line in the Passover Haggadah that says “in every generation they rise up against us”. 

To be a Jew today is to cancel vacation plans to certain countries. 

To be a Jew today is to rethink sending your kid to certain universities. 

To be a Jew today is to fully and finally realize that antisemitism can happen anywhere at any time. 

To be a Jew today is to stop listening to your favorite musicians who use their platforms to bash and to delegitimize Israel.

To be a Jew today is to be utterly shocked at public calls for the genocide of your people by seemingly normal people. 

To be a Jew today means to see your college alma mater get engulfed in the flames of antisemitism and anti-Israel hate.

To be a Jew today is to be baffled at how the modern liberal world has teamed up with and chosen to support terrorists. 

To be a Jew today is to wonder if things will ever go back to the way they were.

To be a Jew today is to discover new amounts of passion and determination to stand up for your people you never realized you had.

To be a Jew today is to still firmly hold on to your belief in a better world even though the world is quickly going in the opposite direction. 

To be a Jew today means rediscovering the power of prayer. 

To be a Jew today means to feel more connected to other Jews no matter how different they are from you. 

To be a Jew today is to understand the importance of a Jewish state on a whole new level. 

To be a Jew today means being proud to be a Jew more than ever before.