Antisemitism is becoming 'normal,' with Jewish teens paying the price

The archetypal clip I asked a country afloat of Jewish teens if they were facing antisemitism, not a azygous manus went up.

It was conscionable weeks aft Oct. 7, a clip erstwhile Jewish students crossed America were being harassed, shouted down, and targeted simply for who they were. I had been asked to "take the temperature" of antisemitism successful some nationalist and backstage schools crossed Atlanta. As idiosyncratic who meets with much Jewish teens than anyone other successful the region, implicit 4,142 students conscionable past twelvemonth done our Jewish Student Union (JSU) programs, I expected to perceive stories of fear, anger, and isolation.

"No," they said. "We don’t truly look antisemitism."

At first, I was relieved. Maybe Atlanta was different. Maybe someway our teens were shielded from the question of hatred sweeping the country. But past I asked a antithetic question.

ANTISEMITISM: FACE IT. FIGHT IT. FINISH IT

Anti-Israel demonstrators pain a U.S. flag, connected the time of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's code to a associated gathering of Congress, connected Capitol Hill successful Washington, U.S., July 24, 2024.  (Nathan Howard/Reuters)

"How galore of you person ever heard idiosyncratic marque a Jewish gag astatine your expense?"

Every manus went up.

"How galore of you person heard idiosyncratic notation Jews and money, oregon accidental Jews power the media?"

Every manus went up again.

"How galore of you person had idiosyncratic accidental thing antagonistic astir Israel oregon astir Jews due to the fact that of Israel?"

Every azygous hand.

That’s erstwhile I realized thing acold much alarming than unfastened hate: our teens nary longer admit antisemitism erstwhile they acquisition it.

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Students astatine Columbia University enactment successful an anti-Israel and pro-Palestinian protest. (Spencer Platt/Getty Images)

The New Normal of Hate

What does it mean erstwhile a procreation of Jewish young radical believes that being mocked, criticized, oregon targeted for their Jewish individuality is simply portion of life? It means antisemitism has go truthful pervasive, truthful embedded successful the societal cloth of our schools and online spaces, that it nary longer registers arsenic abnormal.

It means the adjacent procreation is being conditioned not to consciousness outrage but resignation.

Today’s Jewish teens are increasing up successful an situation wherever past stereotypes are recycled arsenic humor, wherever anti-Israel chants are broadcast crossed TikTok, and wherever classmates repetition hateful slogans without knowing their origins. This dependable drumbeat of bias has numbed our younker to what’s happening astir them.

When antisemitism stops shocking us, it starts defining us.

The Quiet Erosion of Identity

In conversations with teens, I’ve heard things that would person been unthinkable conscionable a fewer years ago. Some person asked me, "Can we instrumentality the connection Jewish retired of our club’s name? It offends radical who hatred Israel." Others person wondered, "Can we speech astir thing different than Jewish topics successful our meetings? It makes radical uncomfortable."

These requests don’t travel from apathy; they travel from exhaustion. From a procreation truthful accustomed to hostility that their endurance strategy is to fell successful plain sight.

Hundreds of students protestation extracurricular the Palestine Solidarity Encampment connected the field of UCLA successful Los Angeles connected Wednesday May 1, 2024.  (Keith Birmingham/MediaNews Group/Pasadena Star-News via Getty Images)

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But the existent discourtesy is not the sanction "Jewish Student Union." The existent discourtesy is the thought that a Jewish teen should ever consciousness the request to erase their individuality to marque others much comfortable.

The Stakes Couldn’t Be Higher

If Jewish teens judge antisemitism arsenic "normal," past we arsenic a assemblage person failed to thatch them what is not normal. The normalization of hatred is however it spreads unchecked. It erodes self-worth, weakens solidarity, and invites escalation.

The situation isn’t conscionable the antisemitism itself; it’s the desensitization to it.

That’s wherefore our enactment astatine JSU is much captious than ever. We conscionable teens wherever they are, successful their schools, cafeterias, and person groups and assistance them rediscover pridefulness successful who they are. We thatch them not conscionable to admit antisemitism, but to respond with dignity and knowledge. We punctual them that being Jewish is thing to embrace, not conceal.

Our teens request to consciousness arrogant of who they are arsenic Jews and assured successful recognizing erstwhile that individuality is nether attack. Because if we don’t assistance our teens specify what antisemitism is, the satellite volition specify it for them, oregon worse, person them it doesn’t exist.

Rabbi Chaim Neiditch with a radical of students successful Atlanta, Georgia. (Rabbi Chaim Neiditch)

A Call to Awareness

Parents, educators, and assemblage leaders indispensable act. We cannot presume our kids "know" what antisemitism looks like, nor tin we trust connected schools to code it adequately. We indispensable person the hard conversations, thatch our past and make spaces wherever Jewish teens consciousness arrogant and supported, not silenced oregon alone.

After Oct. 7, we saw however rapidly centuries-old hatreds resurfaced. But we besides saw however almighty Jewish resilience tin be. That aforesaid spot indispensable beryllium passed to our teens, not done fear, but done pride.

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The aboriginal of Jewish individuality successful America volition beryllium shaped not by those who hatred us, but by whether our children person the courageousness and assurance to basal up arsenic Jews, unashamed and unafraid.

Because the lone happening much unsafe than antisemitism itself is simply a procreation that nary longer recognizes it.

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