There is no hiding (Day 75)

Part of my adventures yesterday included being on the Green Line of the MBTA for all of three stops. You'd think that would be the easy leg of the trip given the slog that was the 57 bus in the rain, but no. Because as I passed through the Longwood station on the D-Line, I saw that someone had helpfully written "ZIONIST SCUM" in red on the map. Sorry I couldn't take a picture; we were passing by really quickly. Actually, I'm not sorry, because the artist in question just wasn't that talented.

The Longwood station is on the border of Boston and Brookline. It's a five minute walk from the train station to the Longwood Medical Area. That's in Boston. Maybe the teaching hospitals did something recently to earn the ire of anti-Semites? Or do you think that was directed at someone else?

As of 2002, the Jewish population of Brookline was 30 percent. In case anyone is interested, that means less than a third. It's very hard to find statistics any later, but it would be remarkable if the percentage had increased to 50 percent. But it doesn't matter. Brookline has a well-established Jewish population. I'm just going to guess that message was directed to them.

I'm not going to try to distinguish Judaism from Zionism, in any of its incarnations. I'm not going to defend either; I don't have to, I don't need to. That graffiti was a hate message, and I don't need to justify to anyone, anywhere why it's inappropriate. (I'm confident in that because of the word "scum", but there are other qualifications.) And if you're reading this and you think I do, honestly, what is wrong with you?

That message worked--I felt threatened, and I bet a lot of Jews who read it felt the same way. My first reaction to being threatened is the same as anyone else's: I want to protect myself. I don't want to be hurt. I want to be safe.

Give me a second, though, and my reaction is different. There is no "safety" when you live in an environment where someone is going to presume "scum" because "Zionist" or "Jewish", and complaining about it--telling people you feel threatened--isn't going to get you much sympathy. So...then let's go.

If you have a problem with this, that is entirely on you

 

I'm Jewish. I AM JEWISH. I'm Jewish because I have a Jewish grandparent, and I'm Jewish because I affirmatively want to be. I married a Jewish man, and I raised Jewish children. I spent a lot of time in a reform temple, and I do Jewish things like observe Shabbat and celebrate Jewish holidays. I'm Jewish, and just because that's not the first thing you think when you see me, it doesn't mean it's not true, and I'm not going to hide behind anyone's presumptions.

And another thing: that Jewish grandparent may not have covered himself in glory as a husband or a father, but he managed to do something that I am very proud of: he was a World War II veteran who was injured as a gunner over England. He was fighting Nazis, because that's what Jews do.

I'm fighting Nazis, too. They may be scary, but you know what? I can be, too.

Deb in the City