I Am a Jew

As I watched the pro-Palestinian protests erupt across the country yesterday, it was like watching a volcano seeping up through the cracks of the earth. Everyone knew the volcano was there, snarling under the surface, but as long as it was quiet, they could pretend that it wasn’t active. Yesterday, it went active, an angry and dangerous outburst.

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A few days ago, @WesternChauvinist posted a short video of Douglas Murray, declaring not only his support of Israel, but he also made the statement, “I am a Jew.” He is not a Jew, but he wanted there to be no question of his solidarity with Jews and Israel, and as an American Jew, I appreciated his boldness.

I thought about my own cozy existence in this country, which has now been disrupted, and weighed whether or not there was something I could say that would be meaningful to me, if to no one else. And the answer became clear:

To the people who are protesting Jews worldwide, and not just Israel—

I am a Jew.

To the naïve protestors who spout lies they’ve accepted about Hamas in this war—

I am a Jew.

To those people over the centuries and even today who believe the myths of Jewish greed, killing babies for their blood to make matzahs or controlling the world—

I am a Jew.

To those people who wrongly accuse the Israelis of maintaining an apartheid state, of colonialism, and abuse of the Palestinians—

I am a Jew.

To those ignorant people who support Hamas baby killers and those who conduct massacres of innocent civilians--

I am a Jew.

To those who are unwilling to search for the truth about the Palestinians and Israel

because they are more comfortable in their fantasy world than facing ugliness—

I am a Jew.

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I’ve never made a secret of my Jewish heritage, but with my married name, my blond hair (when I was younger) and my fair skin, those who stereotype Jews would say to me, “You don’t look Jewish.” The stereotypes are abundant; even here on Ricochet, I’ve been told that Jews control the banking industry.

But there is no average Jew: some of us are observant, some of us follow some of the practices. Some of us practice with others, some of us practice alone. Some of us practice Jewish law devotedly, some of us don’t. And we are all Jews. And more than ever, it is critically important to shout to the world that we are here, we are among you, and we won’t be silenced.

I. Am. A. Jew