r/JewsOfConscience • u/Educational_Board888 Non-Jewish Ally • 18d ago

Activism Imagine feeling threatened by a library display

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u/loselyconscious Traditionally Radical 18d ago

I think there is both more anti-Palestinian bigotry and more support for Palestinians in the Jewish community than the general public just because we are naturally more connected to the conflict than the general public.

We also are often forced to form opinions on this and publically declare them (I'm sure this is just as bad if not worse for Palestinians); I am frequently expected to present the Jewish opinion on Israel/Palestine.

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u/accidentalrorschach Jewish Anti-Zionist 17d ago

Yes, I gotta admit feeling obligated to prove you are a "good" Jew gets exhausting...though in a way I understand.

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u/loselyconscious Traditionally Radical 17d ago

I wouldn't even say that I get this in mostly leftist spaces. In just neutral spaces, I feel I have often had the responsibility to explain "what's going on" and my take. My fricken landlord asked me to explain "all the mess in the middle east" to him, just as a form of small talk.

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u/NeitherFollowing4305 Non-Jewish Ally (Christian) 17d ago

I cannot wrap my head around how your landlord thought a whole regional conflict (that had been pretty much ongoing for decades with no real end in sight) was a good prompt for small talk. That is so bizarre. Does that happen a lot to you?

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u/MassivePsychology862 Non-Jewish Ally 3d ago

Happens to me all the time when someone finds out I’m Lebanese American from a southern Shia village.

I ask: how much time do you have?

And then I’ve got some standard bits I use for 5mins, 30mins, 1hr, etc.

I also ask what they already know about the region.

It’s a burden and a gift. It’s emotional labor but I also appreciate when people are interested in “my” side of the story.