“Did you know that if you lived in Germany during World War II you would have been made into a lampshade, Anna?”
Yes, this was really said to me. I remember sitting at the lunch table when I was only 12 years old and in the seventh grade when my close friend randomly blurted this out after we were discussing our crazy geography teacher. I just stared at the girl, I was at a total loss of words and simply did not know how to respond.
My family and I stared at each other in disbelief after someone we knew reposted a tweet stating they wish Jews had never been let out of the ovens.
Freshman year of high school I was at a teammate’s house for a pre-race dinner. My teammate, who was also Jewish, nudged me and whispered, “Look, they have Mein Kampf on their shelf right there.” We looked at each other silently and awkwardly shifted in our seats.
Senior year of high school I sat in AP European History. We were discussing the Jewish religion when I raised my hand and discussed my view and my personal experience as an American Jew. Albeit, I am not the most religious person, but I was raised Jewish and it is very much so part of my identity.
My teacher responded- “ Ok, Anna, but we all know you are not a real Jew so let’s take that with a grain of salt.”
I often ask myself why people say things like this, why they think it is ok, or even funny? I wish I could tell you that I figured it out or that it has gotten better over the last few years. I wish I could say American Jews, or just Jews in general, face less anti-semitism and oppression than we used to. But that isn’t the truth. The truth is that Jews are still under attack. Just a matter of weeks ago a synagogue was held hostage.
Holocaust Remembrance Day is just as important today as ever. It is imperative that Holocaust education continues, that we work to teach acceptance, kindness, and respect for others. Jewish Americans and Jews around the world deserve to feel safe and respected. For this to happen, people must understand the roots of oppression Jews have faced and also learn about the Holocaust and how it happened.
We can never forget, we can never stop educating our youth. Anti-semitism is not a problem of the past, my experiences growing up prove that. Today I think of my ancestors that died for their beliefs and I hope for a better future.