Am I the “Silent Jew”? Antisemitic rhetoric is everywhere.

Am I wrong to ignore it?

“The City Without Jews,” an Austrian fantasy film, 1924

This is a guest post from the JPF family by Jill.

---

As with most politically fractious issues today, it began on social media. It was October 8th, 2023. Some of us were probably in denial that a war had started, not able to comprehend the magnitude of what had just happened the day before.

In the weeks following, the amount of misinformation fueled by pure antisemitic rage was staggering. The occupiers all deserved it. They were the oppressors facing an inevitable conclusion. I condemn the rapists, but I guess I can understand why…

They were words from people I once viewed as friends. So I did what I needed to do for my own mental health: I disabled all of my social media. It was like removing a tumor from my digital life; I felt better immediately after doing it.

Did I respond to their smug posts about how Israel’s “barbaric” response is a “moral” issue, the natural conclusion being that I must be immoral for openly supporting the Jewish state as they were still sifting through the bodies of the 1200 people massacred within it? No.

Did I reach out to them to express how hurtful I found their words, especially considering that I’ve acted as a good ally for their various causes, almost all of which have nothing to do with my own ethnic background? No.

Did I tell any of the students who showed up to my office wearing ‘Free Palestine’ pins beneath their kaffiyehs or my colleagues who expressed views tacitly supporting Hamas under their professional titles how destructive I found their actions as a colleague at that same institution? No.

Why would I risk my career for that?

Shai Davidai did it, and Columbia’s lawyers are going after him. I don’t want that in my life if I can avoid it.

So avoid it I do — in real life. My outlet is here, in a semi-anonymized space where I have tried to express my thoughts about this crisis openly and honestly. I hope I’ve helped others in a similar position, though part of me feels like I may have copped out by leaving out certain identifying details.

We all know that it all started well before the war. I made it a point not to fit any of the stereotypes that non-Jews freely express disdain for. Always make sure to pay them back immediately if you owe them money. Don’t talk about the religious aspect of your upbringing. Don’t bring up your holidays unless they ask about them. It was all performance for a slow simmer of hate that has exploded courtesy of Hamas. This eventuality was no doubt part of their entire plan.

But I am done being one of the “good ones.” My earnest attempts to integrate myself into non-Jewish circles did not shield me from the seething contempt that these people probably always had for me, whether they realized it or not. They now just use the imaginary ‘Israel’ in their heads and TikTok feeds as an excuse to express it all openly. My politeness for it has run out.

Much to the chagrin of many, ‘Zionist Jill’ is very much alive. She has a voice. And she’s not going anywhere.

---

For more articles by Jewish authors, subscribe to the JPF on Medium (click on the image below).

For more Jewish authors, click on the image to follow the JPF on Medium.

Want even more Jewish bang for your buck? The JPF recommends subscribing to the following Substacks:

Maccabee Nation by

Jason Crystal

has began a series of superb Jewish interviews on all subjects.

Future of Jewish by

Joshua Hoffman

covers many bases with thoughtful articles across the diaspora.

Dear Chevra

by Gail Zahtz is a Substack whose compassionate prose looks to unify Jewish friends and family.

And finally, we have

Fern (writing FernMusing)

,

Jen Gilman Porat

and

Susan Bordo

all-important voices in the ever-rising tide of antisemitism. Well worth checking out their Substacks.