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weary bunions @ziusik.bsky.social · 20/06/2025

I want to say something, but I’m pretty scared to. But I think I need to say it, and so I’m going to. Please read the whole thing before commenting. I hope you will take this in good faith.

I've been feeling increasingly disheartened & I'm not sure how to talk about it, to be honest. I’m scared. But it's important for me to say it because it's been rotting in my head & in my heart & I need to get it out. Whenever I bring up antisemitism & how frightening it's been recently, all I hear are crickets from non-Jews. Then I get DMs from Jewish people saying they feel the same way & are scared to say anything. This is a big problem. Antisemitism & real Jewish fear is being brushed aside because there are "other, bigger" problems. Because we need to be focusing on real atrocities. Once again, Jews don't matter. Others seem to view it as "you've invited this onto yourselves" - which is scarier, of course, because, once again, Jews & the Israeli government are being conflated. Suddenly, every Jew all over the world, through the whole diaspora, is responsible for the horrors of Gaza and you get bricks through windows of Jewish delis.

(A real thing that's happening, btw.) You get people being burned for showing support for the hostages who were taken (who don't matter because they were Israeli/Jews). You get synagogues being burned. All in the name of Palestine. How does that help? How does terrorizing another marginalized group of people solve anything? How is that activism? Jews are, once again, being set-up as the scapegoats. It happened in Rome. It happened in the Pale Settlement. It happened in Nazi Germany. It happened in the Soviet Union. I have fear in my bones from generations of my people being blamed, killed, arrested, suppressed, repressed, all because the ones in power wanted to keep the blame off themselves. It's happening again.

The other week, I was so badly triggered, I couldn't function. I wouldn't wish that on anyone, ever. It's a horrible feeling - the loss of control over your emotions, the gripping, suffocating fear clawing at your throat, the helplessness before a force much bigger than you. So what I'm asking is this: please be open to the idea that antisemitism can get you too and please listen to Jewish voices when they call it out. I've seen actual instances of people scoffing at it, people saying Jews are overreacting & detracting from the real issues, but this is actually important. It's happening. It matters because history CAN repeat itself. I'm not saying this matters more than anything else. I'm saying this matters ALSO.

So please learn to recognize it; educate yourselves; listen to Jewish voices. Be open to the idea that you're being manipulated by those who would benefit from antisemitism. And before anybody says anything, I need to add that what's happening in Gaza is beyond horrific and it makes me sick to my stomach, it is beyond comprehension. It is the work of a monster. It is a stain on us as a human race. I have and will continue to rail against it. The reason I felt the need to say something overall is because I hate living in fear. I spent the first 11 years of my life living in fear as a Jew. I never want to experience that again. So I know that I may get all sorts of responses to this, but I'm done hiding and cowering in fear. I'm proud of who I am, proud of who my ancestors are. We are not the enemy. We are just a people. We deserve to not live in fear.

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weary bunions @ziusik.bsky.social · 22/06/2025

I wanted to say a profound thank you for reading this & meeting me with love & understanding & kindness. I cannot tell you how that made me feel, when I had been so scared. I cannot tell you what it means to me, truly. Thank you.

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