re: your recent addition to that post about the columbia university protests.
YES. i am a jewish student there who went home for the holiday earlier than i’d planned because the protests made living on campus unbearable and i am DREADING going back.
i can’t say for certain that there are ZERO right wing neo nazis there, but that’s really not what it looks like to me. it seems to me to be all antisemitic leftists and quite a lot of antizionist jews. a disturbing number of them.
there have been a few incidents that have gone viral, such as the masked protestor holding up a sign that says “al qassam’s [the military wing of hamas] next target” pointing to jewish counter protestors with israeli and american flags, and a clip where protestors outside the gates harass two jewish female students by saying “the seventh of october will be every day for you” and then the crowd chanted “nazi bitches” at them. these were LEFTISTS. not neo nazis. columbia university apartheid divest, the group organizing these protests, have barely acknowledged these incidents, and i’m certain that the only reason they haven’t completely ignored them is because of their virality. they called the incidents “in associated events”, claimed that these protestors don’t represent their movement, and encouraged everyone to read their community guidelines if they want to know what the movement is REALLY about. as a jewish columbia student, it’s patently obvious to me that this is all a deflection and the only thing the moment is “really about” is making jewish students feel so unsafe that they go home and plan not to return.
Thank you for sharing your experience, and I am so, so sorry you are having to go through this. I can't imagine the pain you're feeling at watching your classmates partake in such awful behavior. Jewish students deserve a safe space to learn. I hope and pray that at the very least, more goyim will see what is happening at these protests and take antisemitism more seriously. And no matter what, we Jews will always protect each other. Am Yisrael Chai.
One. I cry the first time I shoot an M-16. The blast is louder than I expected, the gunpowder sharp in my nose. I count the holes on the cardboard target. It's shaped like a person. Like a soldier. Its body punctured with bullets. I want to call my mom and ask her to take me home. I want to be anywhere but here.
Two. For a few weeks in second grade, we go to school carrying gas masks. They come in small rectangular boxes the teachers let us decorate with colorful stickers.
It's been months since the last siren, but I keep the steel window in the safe room half closed, afraid to tempt faith.
I still search for the nearest shelter. Still wear only one earbud when I take the dog for a walk. I'm privileged, I remind myself every restless night. Privileged.
Three. When we tell each other "Be careful," we mean life is fragile. There was another terror attack today. I love you. I'm scared. Here is a cute video of a panda taking a bath. Be safe. Here is a satire about the state of our government. Tell me you got home safely. I don’t know how to shield you from any of this.
Four. Every car on my street has a yellow ribbon tied to the door handle. They are everywhere I look. Wrapped around railings and wrists and tree branches. We didn't forget you, they say. We are sorry. We rememberwerememberweremember.
if Jews don’t feel safe in the environment you’ve created, you’ve created an antisemitic environment. i don’t get why that’s a hard concept to internalize and comprehend.