Yitzhak ben Moshe, Editor/Reporter, New Mexico
With everything that is going on in the world, all the antisemitism, we wanted to know how you express your Jewish pride. We loved all the answers we received.
At the Jerusalem Press, we have encouraged people to light extra candles on Shabbos for those whom Hamas holds as hostages. From the messages we’ve received, many of you have taken this to heart.
“Each Shabbos,” says Anna, “we place a picture of a different hostage near our candles, light two candles, and say the blessings for them.”
Hannah told us what happened at her synagogue. “We have an empty chair, near the, where we have pictures of the hostages. We light candles for them there.”
You will take on a daily Mitzvah dedicated to the merit of one specific hostage while other community members do the same for other hostages.
We’ve also heard from many men who are now wearing Tzitzit.
“I’ve never worn Tzitzit before,” said Noah. “These I’ve never worn before. I wear them now every day.”
In my daily life, I wear my Tzitzit and my kippah.
Wearing a kippah and Tzitzit may not seem like much, but it takes a significant commitment on the part of the person wearing them publicly. In some parts of the world, it’s not easy to show that you are Jewish. Just looking at news headlines proves this fact.
“I started to wear my Kippah,” says Levi. “It’s something simple, easy, and shows who and what I am. Even with what was done, I will continue to wear it.”
Levi is a university student in California.
“I was in the student union,” Levi says, “getting in some studies between classes. That’s when I was confronted.”
While minding his own business and getting ready for a test, Levi was confronted by a group of students who said his presence was making them physically sick.
“One of the bigger guys there ripped my kippah off my head and spit on it,” says Levi.
Of course, the University didn’t do anything about it, but Levi did.
“I bought enough kippah to wear a different one each day for the rest of the year,” Levi says. “They are not going to stop me.”
Torah study can be a great way to show your Jewish pride.
“We get to meet up every morning,” says Menachem, “at the same park bench and study Torah.”
Menachem says they have a Minyan every morning before they go to work. They lay Tefillin, pray, and study the Torah.
“Only one person got mad at us for this,” he says. “Now he joins us for the study of Torah! He’s not even Jewish, and he wants to learn about it!”
Little things, simple things, can make a big difference. Your small act, like wearing a small Magen David, can be a source of comfort for you and inspiration for another.
Rachel, not her real name, found herself in a hostile working environment.
“I need my job,” says Rachel. “It is only me and my children, and I need my job.”
Where Rachel works, her co-workers are anti-Israel. The other employees can wear pins, buttons, and shirts proclaiming their dislike for our homeland. Quitting her job and finding a new one is easier said than done.
“I work Sunday through Thursday, so this is good for me,” says Rachel. “It’s not the best, but I need this job, and other jobs are not that easy to get.”
Rachel was losing hope; she felt alone in a new city.
“That’s when this lady walked in for a coffee,” says Rachel. “I smiled as I noticed the tiny Star of David pendant she was wearing. It gave me just enough light to go on.”
Since we spoke to Rachel about this article, she has connected with the Temple in her town and found a new job. All it took was seeing that small star, that tiny ray of light, to give her the strength she needed.
How are you showing your Jewish pride? What small acts have you added to your daily life that proclaim who and what you are? Let us know what you are doing in the comments.
