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As members of the local Jewish community, we have spent the past few weeks rejoicing over the ceasefire between Israel and Hamas, and the release of all living hostages who were kidnapped during the Oct. 7, 2023 terror attack. Over the last two years, the destruction in Gaza has been horrific, and we desperately hope that the killing will stop.
May these be the first steps toward a lasting peace that brings stability and security to Israelis and Palestinians.
We also take stock of how the past two years of war have changed our own experiences as American Jews. Popular opinion in the United States and around the world has turned against Israel to a degree we have never before seen. Such negative opinions are not a surprise — many Israelis, and certainly many American Jews, deeply oppose how the Netanyahu government has managed this war. However, as anti-Israel views have grown, antisemitism has arisen with new vigor on both the political right and left.
The past two years have seen a dramatic increase in antisemitic incidents nationwide, including fatal and near-fatal attacks by pro-Palestinian activists against Jews in D.C.; Boulder, Colorado; and Pennsylvania. In our own community, calls for violence against the Jewish diaspora, such as chants to “globalize the intifada,” have become common on Eugene streets. Homes have been defaced with swastikas, and mezuzot have been ripped from door posts. Activists have encouraged local institutions to ban “Zionists” — a dog whistle for Jews — from Eugene and the University of Oregon. Demonstrators protested a recent community Jewish event and screamed epithets at attendees, as if participating in Jewish life marks us as criminals or enemies.
Jews are as diverse and fractious as any other identity group. We have a great variety of political positions, including on the Middle East, Israel, Trump, immigration, the environment, etc. But regardless of where we find ourselves on the political spectrum, many of us have never before felt so uncomfortable as Jews in the United States.
Targeting anyone, or doubting their national loyalty, for their religion, ethnicity or race is wrong. It has been disconcerting to feel so threatened and simultaneously to watch as the current U.S. administration uses the escalated violent rhetoric against “Zionists” as a pretext to suppress free speech and academic freedom in the name of protecting Jews. We do not wish to be anyone’s scapegoat or anyone’s pawn. Many Jews in the United States and Lane County struggle with conflicting responses — the desire to remain connected to the wider community and a self-protective impulse to withdraw. Indeed, even writing this article feels like a risk. Nonetheless, we intend to remain part of the grand experiment that is America, to do so with love for this country and our Constitution.
We thank the many non-Jewish community members who stood with us over the last two years. We are grateful that the vast majority of our friends and neighbors have been able to see nuance — holding outrage over both Israeli and Palestinian lives lost; critiquing Hamas and the government of Israel; standing with Palestinians and with Jews. The Jewish Community Relations Council has received numerous calls from concerned non-Jewish allies who have wanted to fight hatred.
Though acts of hate and division will always make the news more than quiet acts of solidarity and allyship, we know that our community rises above hatred. We also believe as Jews that no matter what rupture exists, it is never too late for repair.
We encourage all of our readers to speak up when you witness discrimination or harassment. Condemn all forms of bigotry and violence and elevate the voices of political, faith, and community leaders who also do so. Sympathize with and support victims of bigotry. Challenge your implicit biases and learn about contemporary manifestations of antisemitism along with other forms of bigotry.
This moment opens the possibility for healing and reconciliation. Let’s do the work.
