I may be a little late to the game on this one. I have read so many well-worded articles, blog posts, and Facebook posts (not to mention the Tweets) about the events of Charlottesville on August 11-12. But I have my own perspective, and if nothing else I need to write it to sort out my own feelings.
You see, I am one of the ones they oppose. When Nazi’s marched in the streets of Virginia, they chanted “Jews will not replace us,” gave Nazi salutes, and carried signs that said things like “Jew’s are Satan’s children.” They also chanted about pure race, and targeted people of color in the streets. I will never know what it is like to be a PoC in this country, and I don’t want to sound like one of those whiny white people saying yeah, but I have it hard too! I have NO IDEA what it is to walk the streets as a person of color, or to apply for a job with a name that gets me immediately put into a “no” pile (though I imagine “Schwartz” has put me there once or twice). But this is my story, and as a member of one of the groups specifically targeted by the so-called “alt-right”, I have a say in this, too.
On my father’s side, I am a 3rd generation American. My grandparents were both born in the United States. Their parents were Polish immigrants, who came to the US between WW1 & WW2, when things started looking bad for Jews in Europe. It was common for immigrant families in the 20’s and 30’s to have children after settling in the US. The idea was that it would hopefully solidify their position as American citizens. So, my grandparents came to be. Then my father and his sisters, and eventually me, my brothers, and my cousins.
My great-aunt Hilda, one of the coolest people I ever got to know, didn’t always live in the United States. As a result, she lived her life with a tattoo on her arm. When we were children, we were told not to ask about it.
By the time I was old enough to not care about getting in trouble for asking anyway, Hilda was so hard of hearing that she couldn’t understand the questions I tried to ask. The short story is that I know she suffered in a concentration camp; I am not certain for how long, or what her experience was. I do know that knowing her was a privilege, as the surviving families of most people who went into concentration camps never got to know them. Most people who went into the camps did not come out.
Bottom line, I am one of those Jews.
Why do they hate us? Apparently, we run the media and the Federal Reserve, and only give money and opportunities to other Jews, thereby suppressing the white Christian men of this country. I should like to point out that no one in my family works for the Federal Reserve, and while one cousin is a publicist, we do not “control” any part of the media. But, guilty by association I guess, so we all deserve to die.
I don’t worry about myself. I am not myself a religious person, and I only go to Temple when someone is having a bar/bat mitzvah. I don’t wear a Star of David, and while I do have a mezuzah on my front door, it is really the only thing that would “out” me as a descendant of a Jewish family. It’s easy to hide that history if needed. I can “pass” in a crowd, in the same way that I am queer but “straight passing.” I could get myself out of danger. People of Color can’t do that. People with disabilities can’t do that. Many LGBTQIA people can’t do that. And many Jews can’t either. Especially ones with tattoos on their arms.
So I worry about my 95-year old grandmother, grocery shopping with her Star of David around her neck. I worry about my cousins as they attend Temple on Fridays. I worry about my children and their names that come from Jewish heritage, and as always, I worry most about my queer, bi-racial, non-binary child who is now an adult. I have been concerned, and in action, around so many issues over the last 9 months, and this past weekend’s events simply added to my sphere of worry.
Mostly, I have obtained a state of constant concern. When the president of the country refuses to condemn Nazi’s, then condemns them, but then takes it back, something is VERY wrong. And unfortunately, that is just another item on a long list of things that he has done and said that is putting real people in real danger all across this nation. For many, this is not new. For some this is an awakening. For the rest of us, the sphere of concern is just widening.
As that sphere widens, I worry more and more each day about the direction this country seems to be headed. Apparently one of the Neo-Nazi groups had scheduled a book burning in California, but cancelled because they feared retribution (good, they should!). A Republican lawmaker recently stated that men shouldn’t let their women work (can anyone find the source on that one?). And then there is the whole world of race & racism (check out this blog for an insightful discussion & reading list), LGBTQIA issues, health care (and especially how it affects women and people with disabilities), and on, and on…
Here’s how this relates to my work and this website: Parents, talk to your kids about this stuff. Read books about race and racism. Introduce them to people who are not like them. If you live in areas where diversity is scarce, find ways to get out of your bubbles. Examine your own prejudices, change your vocabulary and open your mind. Do the work. Get active in your community. Stand up against hate, and make sure your children see & hear you doing it. Help where you can. Let your kids help, too.
There is so much more to this story. To my my own heritage, to the state of the world, to the reality of racism that so many face EVERY DAY (and not just by a small group of fringe thinkers who occasionally wield torches and weapons). I don’t know what else to say. I’m still processing. So there will be no poetic wrap-up to this post. Just a wish for peace, and a knowledge that wishes will not make the difference.
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