Day 242

When I was in the waiting area at the pharmacy yesterday, I took off my jacket. A lady came in but I didn’t really look up. I had just come from Temple for religious school and had my faculty shirt on, which has the logo on it. At one point, the lady noticed my shirt and asked me what was going on at Temple because when she had passed there, it seemed busier than usual. I said there was religious school and a blood drive. She nodded and asked if we were doing any special prayer services for what’s going on in Israel, at which point I tensed up because I wasn’t sure where the conversation was going. I said it was part of our regular services and we had other programs going on to support the community. She gave me a sad smile and she was praying for peace in Israel and I thanked her. 

I tensed up because there’s been a huge uptick in antisemitic events around the country and besides being tired all the time, I’ve been on edge like many Jews I know. It’s not to the point where I’m questioning whether or not I should wear anything that indicates that I’m Jewish (my Star of David or any clothing with a Temple logo), but then I live in a Jewish bubble where I feel safe enough doing so. That’s not the case for everyone. I know my mom worried a lot about that whenever anything happened and I can’t imagine how she’d feel right now.