On a scale of not shocked to not shocked, I’m NOT SHOCKED.
Christian friends: hear this. Jewish synagogues and institutions in America had active shooter plans before you even gave it a thought. We’ve had guards at our services. Sometimes a full on police presence.
Our preschools were locked down before you ever thought about stranger danger.
We know you often tolerate us, without knowing us. But tolerance isn’t enough. Not in this world.
This is what minorities are saying when they ask for your allyship. Not tolerance. ACTIVE PROTECTION AND ADVOCACY. Know our struggles. Know our precariousness and our danger. Don’t just stand up when something happens. Know us now. Defend us to when you hear coded anti-semitism. Ask us our opinions and then listen to our responses and act accordingly.
Any Jew you know is not surprised this morning, but we’re all hurting. Some of us, with extreme sadness. Some of us with anger and obstinance. Some with both.
We know white supremacists still seem like a cartoon to you. They’re not a cartoon to us.
That’s why in the run up to the 2016 election, when many of our progressive ‘allies’ were lukewarm about Hillary, we doubled down. Because we knew what was coming. WE KNEW. We knew it in our DNA.
Listen to us. Do you hear us now?