Being a Mensch

Not too long ago, my cousin and fellow jew (I will not disclose the name for safety), appeared on a news outlet covering the Isreal/Palestine conflict at a University (not disclosing for his safety). When covering the story, my cousin spoke his mind.

He stated that he feels "threatened and intimated" and believes his university should condemn the Anti-Semitic rhetoric going on at the campus. He also noted that everyone has the right to protest peacefully.

After seeing this video, I called to check up on him. I learned that since he was aired on television, individuals have been intimidating him and have given him alarming statements about knowing who he is and personally holding hatred from his remarks calling him, according to others, "A dirty zionist".

He also exclaimed that there are only two entrances to the college and, considering he appeared on television, I can only imagine how scary it is to enter the campus with a group of protesters on the opposition, all of whom probably know who he is from the news feed, blocking the entrance.

However, I want to move away from the actions of the individuals harassing my cousin and I want to talk about his actions.

My cousin regardless of the possible consequences that he probably foresaw could arise from this, still spoke his mind. Behind the wall of professionalism and facade that many Jewish students at universities now have to wear, he spoke his mind.

I know I have!

From my perspective and many other Jews, after the 2023 October 7th attack by Hamas on Israel, logically you would think that the international community would give their outreach to the Jews who were killed in this attack. After all, 75.5% of the population that lives there identifies as Jewish.

In addition, considering that the group that attacked Israel has a history of being grossly anti-Semitic, according to their 1988 charter which is their founding document, you would think that it would be pretty clear that the attack on Israel was an attack of hate.

However, almost every day when I hop on my phone I get a short video the algorithm feeds me about some action Isreal committed which is just blatantly edited or untrue or totally out of context, and then I realize that that specific video has the number of likes proportional to a cute puppy tripping on their tail with comments like "from the river to the sea" and "intifada" which are words which have a connotation in violence and also the obliteration of the state of Isreal, my home.

This feels like a punch right in the stomach.

After watching the video the following pops into my mind:

"Which one of my peers saw this?"

"Who believes this?"

"Can I be myself around this person?"

"Should I wear my Star of David in this class or should I tuck it under my shirt?"

"Which professors could have seen this video and formed an opinion about me?"

"How will my friends react?"

"Will my friends still be friends with me if they find out I support Isreal?"

"Will they accept me for who I am?"

I have been lucky to have friends that even possibly with different opinions on the matter respect and love me for who I am but I am the exception. For many, this type of feeling is something that I guarantee every Jew in higher education most likely has felt. I can almost state with certainty that my cousin probably had this same thought process frequently in school and yet,

He still spoke his mind.

This reminded me of a word that many Jews know which is a mensch. But what is a mensch? In Yiddish it means,

"A decent human being"

My cousin was a mensch because he said what he believed was right and spoke his truthful mind knowing the downside it would bring outlining the trait of being decent.

He also expressed his belief that even though he may disagree with the other side, he acknowledges their right to free speech and to peacefully assemble. This outlines the human being part of the definition.

Make no mistake that you do not have to be on the side of Israel to be a mensch, and you don't need to be Jewish, but you do have to respect people who hold whatever position they hold, and specifically, your actions should be to work toward solutions not to attack and harass the opposition. Certain individuals within that protest intimidated and targeted my cousin due to their beliefs, not his ideas.

These people are bullies.

I want to thank my cousin for doing what he did. It is inspiring. You did what you thought was right and spoke what you believed. For this, you are a true mensch. It is time that I become a mensch as well.

So I will say with pride that:

I am Jewish and I am proud to be Jewish and will love and support my ancestral homeland and its sovereignty under the state of Isreal and hope that we can come towards a peaceful and fair two-state solution.

I know that I will get backlash for what I have just said and I know that Isreal is not perfect, but part of being a mensch is saying what you believe and doing what you think is right. I believe in Isreal and know that without it the few Jews left in the world will not only lose their home but a part of themselves.

Please feel free to repost this article but I ask that this work be made anonymous to preserve my privacy and my safety.