Letter to the Editor: My Jewish Reality

To the Editor:

Fear. Outrage. Shame. Disgust. These are the emotions that wracked my body when I first heard about the attacks on Israel on Saturday, Oct. 7. What did this mean for my family there? Were they safe? Were they dead? Had they been murdered, as one thousand other Jewish people had been? I had no answers.

This is my Jewish reality, constantly fearful and outraged. I wait for the day when I wake up to swastikas on my door. As I eat, I wonder if my family is dead. I do my homework, hoping they’re alive. I go to sleep at night, knowing that the next day might bring me news of death. And there’s nothing I can do except wait.  

Rates of antisemitism have been rising and will continue to do so. My cousin, at 11 years old, faced antisemitism in school. I have faced it from strangers. The Anti-Defamation League’s 2022 audit of antisemetic incidents found that 3,697 incidents of antisemitism had occurred, a 36% increase from 2021. Hamas’ attacks on Israel are antisemitic. Why else would they be killing Jews? From the beheadings of babies to the extermination of the elderly, no Jewish person is safe.  

The persecution of Jews has been constant throughout history. Mere days after Israel’s inception, it was attacked. Wherever they have been, Jewish people have never felt safe. When Jews said never forget, we meant it. With the actions of Hamas and many others, I feel like the Holocaust has been forgotten and its atrocities are reoccurring. I leave on this: will there ever be a safe place for Jews? At this point, I doubt it.  

Macy Gardner, macy.gardner@drake.edu

Editor’s Note: The views expressed in this piece only represent the author(s) and do not necessarily reflect The Times-Delphic or its editorial staff. Additionally, the report of beheaded babies in Israel has not been corroborated by other sources and is unconfirmed.