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It& #39;s been a week since DeSean Jackson& #39;s Instagram post. I& #39;ve had some thoughts, and every time I& #39;ve gone to tweet or write, I haven& #39;t found the words. But after seeing the reactions, I& #39;ve realized the most important thing to do is to educate.
First of all, I think my hesitance has been due to a commitment to keep my religion out of my public, career-facing life. I& #39;ve always wanted to be judged on my character and my contributions, not my background. And I& #39;ve committed myself to do that vice-versa.
I& #39;d like to think this is what my ancestors wanted when they escaped anti-Semitic Europe in the early 1900s. They came to the U.S. with nothing but the clothes on their backs with the dream of freedom and opportunity. Like so many other immigrants, they wanted to be Americans.
Of course, they were the ones who made it. They were the crazy ones - the outcasts - who left their Jewish circles in Europe for the unknown in America. Most of those who didn& #39;t leave Europe before World War II never made it out.
Two-thirds of the Jewish population in Europe was wiped out by Hitler and the Nazis in the Holocaust.
But the scary part for me last week wasn& #39;t the anti-Semitism. I& #39;ve been called the k-word before, I& #39;ve heard the long-nose jokes, I& #39;ve had people throw money at me. In school, I used to pick up coins thrown at me. Being in on the joke felt easier than confronting it.
The scary part for me was the approval DeSean Jackson& #39;s post garnered from so many people, who apparently had similar thoughts, but had never said them. Stephen Jackson saying the Jews control the banks and the money is the exact rhetoric the Nazis used in the 1930s.
Jews, like many minorities, are an easy target. We make up less than 1% of the global population and roughly 2% of the United States& #39; population. We are not strong in numbers and many Americans, if not most, have never met a Jew.
While obviously not to the same degree, in the last week, I& #39;ve related more to my ancestors than ever before. I read anti-Semitic rhetoric on the internet and saw groups of people supporting it. The information is not true and I want to stop it, but I don& #39;t know how.
I appreciate those around the world, in all sorts of fields, from all different backgrounds, who have stepped up to combat this anti-Semitism. We are lucky enough to live in a time when the internet can be used to spur conversation and discourse faster than ever before.
The trademark phrase by Jews, regarding the Holocaust, is "Never again." While I& #39;ve seen it in books and at museums, I& #39;d never felt it until last week. Anti-Semitism is a trend that has repeated itself over and over again in history and I& #39;d be naive to think I& #39;d live without it.
I can only speak for my own experiences as a Jew in America. My parents raised me to be grateful for everything we have - that their ancestors made the ultimate sacrifice so that we can succeed. Treat people how you would want to be treated. Don& #39;t judge a book by its cover.
And work hard. They told me that in our country, hard work is the key to success. As long as I am always putting in the best work that I can - whether that was in school growing up or through work now - I will hit my peak. That& #39;s how I& #39;ve tried to carry myself for 27 years.
Like I said at the beginning of this thread, I don& #39;t always shout that I am a Jew. It is not that I dislike my heritage. It is that I don& #39;t want it to define me. I am an American before I am a Jew. I believe that& #39;s why my ancestors came here.
Like so many other Americans, I don& #39;t want to be thrown into groups based on race, ethnicity, heritage, etc. We don& #39;t need that anymore. Stereotyping puts our country back and not forward.
My biggest goal when it comes to race and ethnic identification is to be consistent. If one group is marginalized, we all are. I want to come with the same energy fighting for other groups as I will for Jews.
The tweet by @TheWilderThings hit home for me and is something that has stuck with me the last few days. https://twitter.com/TheWilderThings/status/1280929917253881856">https://twitter.com/TheWilder...
One more thing I& #39;ll leave Twitter with: My DMs are always open. If I& #39;ve been reminded of anything in the last week, it is that not everyone in the US has the same knowledge of Jewish History as I do from living in a Jewish household and going to Hebrew School my whole childhood.
I& #39;m always open to answering any questions anyone has about being Jewish in America. I& #39;d also love to learn more about what it is like to be my friends and followers, coming from other walks of life. We need to have some uncomfortable conversations.
Thanks for reading. I feel obligated to do my part. If I gave just a few people some perspective from this thread, I feel good about things. Silence is not an option.
Never again.
Never again.
