Reach Out and Text Someone

Silence.?

Despite the fact that 1,400 of my Jewish brothers and sisters in Israel were brutally slaughtered, raped, kidnapped, and mutilated, including many?babies,?in the worst day of violence against Jews since the Holocaust, I've experienced a lot of silence from friends over the past month. Despite the much-publicized?400% rise in antisemitism?in the US this month: college students chased and beaten, swastikas?painted on cars and store windows, online threats, and even murder, I've felt like I've been met with silence from many non-Jews I know and love.?

Recently, I shared a post on?Instagram, where I've been doing most of my advocacy- a story which read, "If you're non-Jewish and haven't so much as sent a heart emoji to your Jewish friends, I promise you they notice."?

The post got a ton of responses, which fell into 2 buckets: Jews empathizing and non-Jews genuinely?confused.?

My long-time mentor, friend and?business partner?Thor replied, "Is that really true?" and I encouraged?him to reach out to his Jewish friends. Sure enough, one replied, moments later:?

"Thank you for reaching out.?It really feels like we're living in two worlds, the Jewish world where the world is ending, and the non-Jewish world where everything is normal."?

This rang true to me, and when I shared it with Jewish friends and family members, it rang true with virtually all of them as well.

I'm not sure if it's generational trauma because so many Jews lost grandparents or other family members in the Holocaust, or if it's the alarming rise in antisemitism these last few weeks, or quite why this feels like the Twilight Zone to every Jewish person I talk to.

For me, most of all, it's the alarming silence of so many who surely know better, paired with the knowledge that 80 years ago, the Nazis exterminated?6 million Jews, in great part because the world remained silent for so long.?

To quote the preeminent writer of our time, Taylor Swift:

“I think I've seen this film before, and I didn't like the ending.”

To be clear:?

1) I abhor violence and condemn the killing of any innocent civilians. My heart breaks for innocent Palestinian?lives lost. I support a ceasefire as soon as the terrorist group Hamas returns the hostages and surrenders. I hope and pray that civilian casualties?are minimized in the meantime.?

2) The history of Israel & Palestine is long and complicated and?virtually nobody?who is tearing down (or for that matter putting?up!) posters of hostages, or marching on college?campuses or in American cities, fully understands it (though?these are my favorite, fact-filled,?comprehensive explainer videos.)?

3) I condemn any hate against people based on their race, religion, gender etc, including Islamophobia.?Fortunately, we are not seeing an increase in anti-Muslim hate acts in the US or Europe.?

4)?I cannot comprehend any correlation between what's happening in Gaza and the hundreds of acts of violence and hate against Jews in the US & around the world except for blatant antisemitism - which, for obvious reasons, is terrifying to Jews everywhere.?

In the 1980's, AT&T had a commercial?for using the phone for long?distance calling (!), entitled?Reach Out and Touch Someone. (I know, I'm showing my age again, but it was a?memorable jingle.)?

Today, more than ever before, your Jewish friends need an?updated version of the slogan:?

Reach out and text someone.?

No matter how much you know or think you know about Israel or Gaza, PLEASE consider texting your Jewish friends, colleagues, and neighbors, to tell them you care about them and you're thinking about them. Better yet, post your support for Jewish people publicly.?

You don't have to be a historian to fight hate, and to support people you care about.?

Reach out and text someone.?

And after they've responded with gratitude, please come back and share this post!?