Reach out to your Jewish and Muslim / Palestinian friends

I have relatives who are rabbis and they have to live behind alarmed security gates due to the antisemitism that exists even when things aren’t like they are now.

Hope you haven't used 23andme. I have.

https://www.wired.com/story/23andme-credential-stuffing-data-stolen/

The timing of this is not a coincidence, in my opinion.

I don't know any Jews who don't feel shaken and horrified, if not directly by what's happened in Israel, then by the huge surge of antisemitism here.

Yeah, all of this.

I've had messages of kindness and solidarity from many non-jewish friends and colleagues and every single one of them made me feel a lot better and less alone.

You're getting the wrong end of the stick.
Nobody is 'assuming' anything. Posters, myself included are merely sharing our own experiences of how expressing concern has turned into needing to pick a side. Zero assumption, just experience.
Also, we have not equated expressing concern to asking for views. The people we're checking in with have.

I mean, if you want to think we're making things up and continue to blame us that's your call.

You are also overlooking that many countries have state sponsored anti-certain religions and indoctrination. You think everyone has 'compassion' for all humans but that's not true. Unless you have lived it, it's difficult to understand.

That's pretty much what I did to a friend I've not been much in contact with for years. Just a short note saying I was thinking of them, and hoping they stayed safe. I received a very appreciative reply very quickly.

But I have family who were killed purely because they were Jewish (like me)
My family did too but those who survived wanted the new generations to move on. What might happen in the future is for the future. I am much less frightened of being killed because I am Jewish than being killed by a nasty illness or car accident. I don't dwell on those things, just focus on trying to be a good human being and hopefully showing a good example.

Too true, @Ketzele .
I don't know what's happening in this country, but having some common decency and humanity shouldn't be that hard.

This thread has taught me a lot about why so many friends are being silent. I find it baffling how many are assuming that expressing concern is synonymous with asking for someone's views on the conflict.

I was very upset yesterday when an old Israeli friend posted his daughter's account of Hamas attacking her kibbutz. She spent hours in a safe room waiting for death. She focused not on the details but on the feelings and the trauma, then and since. Anyone listening to her would feel tremendous compassion for her, and would have learned a lot - for example, how she feels about all the people now telling her she was 'lucky'.

Of course, anyone who is not a soulless ghoul also reflects on the similar experiences of those trapped in Gaza. Listening to those affected should expand our circle of concern, not restrict it. I am enormously depressed by the number of people - including my own friends, and previous posters on this thread - who seem to think that the most important thing is to pick the right side and shout about it.

I'm Jewish and Israeli (originally from UK but have lived in Israel for most of my adult life). I really appreciated all overseas friends who reached out during the days after October 7. It allowed me to share a bit of my personal experience in ways I still don't have the words to do on social media. Nobody tried to be political. Though I did notice that for some reason, aside from Jewish friends in the UK, most people who checked in were non-UK people - I heard from family members in the UK that people had been asking after me, but for some reason they felt embarrassed to write directly! Guys, it's fine to check in with your friends. If I can check in with my Palestinian friends, it's totally fine to check in with whoever you feel might like to know you're thinking about them.

Those of us who aren't Jewish can't imagine the fear. This is a horrific situation, and I hope that you can all stay safe. 🙏

What a terrible situation. 💐

@vivainsomnia I am also not religious and don't tell a lot of people that I am Jewish, and I don't attend synagogue. But I have family who were killed purely because they were Jewish (like me). I have Jewish blood, as do my sons, and that can be traced. Who is to say we could not be targeted by an extremist anti-Jewish organization like Hamas? Since there are so few Jews in the world, "extermination" is something that could genuinely happen and it is terrifying. That's why as a secular non-practicing Jew, I class it as "us".

I did, as soon as this kicked off. Anyone who is a real friend would have been in touch by now.

I appreciate that you don't feel that way- but not feeling Jewish, not practicing, being thoroughly secular did not save any Jewish person from Hitler and it does not 'save' you from a generalised antisemitism today- murderous or not.

And that's the point, really.

Thank you for sharing. I'm Jewish and Israeli and the silence has, for the most part, been deafening. Even though I have family in Israel, no one, apart from one, has asked how they are, or how I am. I'm very worried, as are they. They are living in a war zone currently, afraid to leave their bunkers, and hearing of dreadful stories how friends and colleagues have died.

Thank you pointing out that this is a repeat trauma for many. Some families have lost members over multiple generations, all murdered for being Jewish.

@Freyya

Honestly I have no idea. But thanks for asking the question

if you think of anything, get back to me 😊I'd like to just somehow 'know' these things, but I just don't.

I, to some degree, understand the turmoil people are in. The difficulty is knowing who they are.

Because people are killing us and calling for us to be killed
But I don't see myself as part of the 'us'. Not many people know I'm Jewish because it's not something I feel the need to mention and those who know don't care one way or another.

Op thank you so much. Supporting us online against thinly veiled antisemitism is a great and much appreciated method of support.

I agree and they are so lucky they don’t realise. Even I feel a bit anxious when on social media you have some people sharing free Palestine memes with horrible videos of dead children, then others sharing loads about Israel and what’s happened there. I don’t want them to think I’m ‘not on side’. But for anyone who I know is actually Jewish or has Palestinian links (not many actually) I’ve just messaged saying I hope they’re ok. They really have just replied ‘thanks’. :) the people I know are decent people who are smart and don’t like anyone being butchered.

Because people are killing us and calling for us to be killed.

I'm a non practicing Jews, whose a number of family members died in camps.

I don't identify myself as a jewish person. I am horrified by what is happening there but don't feel it concerns me personally in everyway. My family doesn't and never has associated themselves with Israel. We are European Jews and that's that.

I would find it very odd if someone came to me to share sympathy. Why assume I'm concerned just because I happen to have Jewish blood?

Then you are a rational person. I have also reached out to friends whom I know are affected, and gotten such responses.
But - the key word here - is that I know them! And I know what their response would be.

You have seen such rabid antisemitism - glee and joy at what's happening. I'm very sorry to say that such sentiments are shared openly by many other behind closed doors. And in my country they don't even try to hide it!

I cannot in good faith 'reach out' to people that I don't know, checking in with their feelings, only for them to share their antisemitism with me and wanting me to validate that. Equally, if they were anti-Palestine and thought all the killing was justified. Of course, I can call them out (and I have done so - for people who expressed such sentiment) but the end result, as the OP thinks, isn't 'compassion' for fellow human beings. It's people wanting their anger at the injustice committed by the 'other side' acknowledged. And instead of being grateful for people 'checking-in', anger that the person isn't blindly validating their hatred. So what have I achieved? Apart from the new knowledge that someone is prejudiced and a bigot?

In fact, perhaps outing but one of my Jewish friends is going to travel to my country for my wedding. I'm quite worried about his safety, but he insists. I will certainly be keeping him close and to safe, very touristy multicultural areas.

I cannot really comment on what Jewish people think of others as my friends have never expressed any sentiments against other religions (in fact unlike Christianity and Islam, proselytization does not seme to be a key tenet of Judaism) but there are entire countries that think nothing of open antisemitism and don't acknowledge Israel as a country. Of course, Israel =/= Jews. But they are inextricably linked.