Is Ignorance Really Bliss?
In April 2021, I was attacked for being Jewish at my University. I was studying for my finals at a friend's dorm when I looked out her window and saw upwards of twenty students screaming outside with a massive Palestinian flag. "This isn't going to end well," I said to my friend because I knew the ringleader of this group.
He and I started as friends; we would talk about current events and culture. This student was Palestinian, and he knew I was Jewish because I'd always wear my big, gold Magen David that my Babulya had given me. Initially, Our conversations were informative, valuable, and helpful. However, once the fall semester ended and we returned to campus in the spring, the tenor of our relationship drastically changed. This guy who was once a friend, someone I could have civil conversations with, turned into a hate-infused tyrannical leader. His gaggle of brainwashed weaklings he'd acquired would walk around campus spouting false pieties, hoping to corral as many easily manipulated individuals as possible. Whenever he'd bump into me, he would devalue my Judaism, speak to me disrespectfully, or outright spew hatred rhetoric, knowing his group would back him wholeheartedly.
Once I was done studying, my four friends and I left the dorm and headed for the car. As soon as we exited the building, we were bumrushed by this hoard of pro-Palestinian students. They were surrounding me, yelling at me, calling me things like "kyke" and "colonizer," saying that I am a "genocidal maniac." It was shocking. I did not react; I b-lined for the car as my friends defended my livelihood. I was paralyzed with fear. Can you imagine peaceful and innocent conversations become manipulated to justify despicable language? It was horrifying.
I reported it to the school the next day, but they did nothing. I would check on what I had reported for weeks after the incident, but the police and the school did nothing to resolve the issue.
The reality of being Jewish or Israeli goes beyond religion or ethnicity. We stand together because, for our entire existence, we have been subjected to unwarranted hatred. No matter what your political beliefs are, no matter what race or creed you are, the current state of affairs between Israel and Palestine reflects how fragile the human spirit is. My story is common, and I have so many more to share. Still, I find this one of the utmost importance because of the misconception surrounding Jewish people and Israel at my University. I can't blame someone for not knowing things or for being told half-truths and lies because if you have never met a Jewish person, all you know is whatever you've heard. However, if you have the resources to learn and STILL fail to use them, you are worse than the person who knows nothing.
Being Jewish is a mindset; it's a testament to how hard our ancestors worked to prevail. There were so many, and still are so many, odds against us, yet we continue to triumph. The Jewish spirit is strong, brave, and doesn't back down without a fight. I am proud to be Jewish; I am thankful I was raised valuing the importance of all religions and seeing the beauty in all people. Fear is what causes this type of violence; it is based on ignorance. Fear is what ignites the fire that hate feeds on. If you value me, if you see me as your equal, as someone who deserves to be respected and loved, then the current Palestinian regime cannot be supported. The Palestinian people do not deserve to be governed under Hamas, and the Jewish people do not deserve to be subjected to its ugly, barbaric wrath. No matter how educated you are, where you've traveled, or what you "know," blind hate is ignorance.