If you’re proud of being Jewish, nobody can take that away from you.

“I’m very Jewish and proud, and I’ve worn the same Star of David necklace for the past 12 years. I love being Jewish and I love being proud of it. I think understanding yourself and knowing your background and where you came from can really play into having pride.”

“I started Jewish Pride Always in August of 2020. A synagogue in Delaware had been set on fire. I remember seeing that, and I also remember seeing nobody posting about it. It was really frustrating because we had just come from a whole summer of social media advocacy…it was really frustrating to see nobody stand up for the Jewish community.”

“I have faced so much opposition after I made this post. I think there were three days in a row where I just woke up to hundreds of DMs and comments of people sending me pictures of Hitler quotes and Nazi symbols. I think antisemites are really feeling empowered right now because a lot of the non-Jewish world doesn’t seem to care to denounce it. A lot of people seem to encourage it and support it without even knowing.”

“There are so many things that happened around the world that just don’t get reported — not even mentioning antisemitism. May is Jewish American Heritage Month, and I don’t think I’ve seen a single big media outlet post about it. There’s been an uptick of antisemitic crimes. I don’t think I’ve seen much media coverage — I’ve only seen Jewish people sharing that on social media.”

“I think we will get through this…When I read about [Jewish] history, when I talk to different people who have been through so many different persecutions, it’s just so amazing to me that we’re still here. We are such a tiny minority, but we’re so resilient and so strong.”

“I think, in general, even though it may not seem like it, there are people out there who are trying to be more accepting and trying to be more positive and inclusive of all communities. I think that’s really great and that’s something that all of us can work towards, to not spread negativity — especially if it’s false and divisive information.”

“If you’re proud of [being Jewish], nobody can take that away from you. Be proud of who you are — Jewish Pride Always.” — Naomi S.

As told to Sam Kricsfeld, writer in the Hillel International Writers Program.