The fear in the voices of Jews

It was only a few days ago that terror attacks took place at two Jewish schools in Montreal, Canada – home to a significant Jewish population (one-quarter of the 393,500 Jews in the whole of Canada). 

After contacting one particular Jewish woman who has lived there her entire life, she candidly expressed just how frightening it has become and how the Montreal Jewish community is on edge. My first question to her was whether or not she had considered moving to Israel as an option, given that her children are already grown and no longer living at home. Her response was that she hoped this would blow over and the situation would eventually improve.

Another Jewish friend, who lives in Philadelphia, told me that she’s sick over what’s happening, and very concerned for the safety of her daughter, who now lives in Brooklyn, especially since there has been a 200% increase in antisemitic incidents in New York. I also asked her if she and her husband, who are about to retire, had considered moving to Israel for their safety. She said she’d never leave her kids, but realizes that if things get particularly bad, she would make them come along, as well.

Finally, in Jonathan Lieberman’s article, “Why is it so hard to be a Jew?” the writer speaks about his Jewish friend, Chaim, who is in his late 30s and lives in the UK. Knowing that he has already suffered significant persecution as a result of the Hamas/Israel war, he also asked if he thought it might be time to leave and come to Israel. His response was, “It’s time to leave Britain, but where should I go? I’m really not sure about Israel. I’m not sure it’s for me – where else can I consider?”

Three different responses, all understanding the extreme and sudden changes that have taken place, causing them not to feel at home anymore in their respective cities, but all somewhat reluctant about making the move to the Jewish homeland – the safest place for a Jew to be these days, despite the country being at war.

Most Jews, knowing the history of their people well enough to understand that eventually, their host country turns against them, thought that America was different. Given the importance and strong focus on individual rights, freedom of expression and the melting pot of ethnicities it represents, who could have ever predicted that U.S. Jews would, one day, find themselves in a position of having to consider leaving the land of the free and the home of the brave?

But, although they felt secure and very much embedded into the culture, most understood that, one day, far off into the distant future, there could be a return of the same anti-Jewish sentiments that dramatically changed Europe in the 1930s. Yet, it wasn’t too much of a worry since life, for them, has been stable for a couple of hundred years. But now, they’re beginning to realize that the distant future has caught up with them, and, for the first time, they are considering safer shores.

In an article entitled, “Time for Aliyah: More Jews must move to Israel in wake of Hamas massacre,” the author, Eric Michaelson writes: “I have heard the fear in the voices of friends and family abroad who, even while living in largely ‘Jewish’ areas, tell me that, for the first time in their lives, are nervous about going outside their homes.”

The irony is that not only are they afraid to go out, but many have made the decision to remove the mezuzah (parchment encased in a holder that is nailed to the doorpost) on their front door, identifying that this is the dwelling of a Jew. Others are putting away their Star of David jewelry or kippa (skullcap), which they never feared wearing in previous, safer times, but now, they must always be cognizant of the fact that their ethnicity has become a cause for anger and unprovoked attack by those who are quick to proclaim them guilty by association – regardless of whether or not they are, in any way, connected to the Jewish state. 

This is the chilling and intimidating environment that Jews are seeing all around them, during these distressing times, causing them to carefully consider how to plan their day, what schools they can safely attend and what streets they may have to avoid, due to angry protestors. 

One young Jewish student commented, “For someone who grew up in New York, I find what’s going on shocking. It’s not that I don’t wear my kippa at all. But in the past few weeks, there have been occasions when I felt that for my personal safety, it was not a good idea to have it on. Just the other day, I passed by a pro-Palestinian rally near the library, where someone was carrying a sign that had a Jewish star on it next to the words ‘absolute evil. That day, I didn’t wear my kippa at all.” 

It has gotten to the point where Jews feel that it’s safer to walk in groups than alone. There is a sad awareness that these well-organized pro-Palestinian mobs are no longer protesting the events taking place in Israel, as the military fights the enemy whose sole aim is to kill all Israelis, followed by killing all Jews worldwide. 

They know that their anger and rage have spilled over into the collective ethnicity of Jews who are now seen, by them, as a vilified enemy to be hunted down and destroyed. While some may contend that this is only true of the extreme element among those protestors, that segment is rapidly growing, because there is no room for reasonable discourse or the ability to convince them that they lack a very basic knowledge of facts as well as any moral gauge.

For Diaspora Jews, who are now coming to terms with the new and disturbing reality of their once tolerant cities, the fear in their voices is loudly being heard. It is now up to each one to internalize what this means for them personally and whether or not America, Canada and Europe have ceased to be the home that once made Israel irrelevant to them as an eventual replacement. 

Fear is a great motivator, and as the voices of hate get louder and more plentiful, the Jewish homeland will begin to look like the only feasible option in a world that has gone mad and, once again, turned against the Jews!