BY JOELLEN COLLINS
There have been times in my life when I have not worried unduly about antisemitism. Even as a very young child during World War II, I was not directly exposed to that form of prejudice, and, of course, was sheltered from journalism and other sources of information about the vast atrocities of any war. When I grew older and began to read mature articles and books, I learned about the horrible treatment of dissidents, the disabled, artists and intellectuals, and especially Jews, from Nazi governments prior to and during that war.
I was raised by my adoptive family as a loving Christian and did not hear in our particular churches and religious surroundings anything antisemitic. My family and friends never uttered insulting or negative comments about their Jewish friends and about the Jewish people around the world. In addition, most of my closest friends all through high school were Jewish. Some of them had relatives in Europe and in other places who suffered from the Holocaust and the lack of support around the world. I did not witness antisemitism even in my teenage hometown of Burbank, California, and until I attended UCLA and went through sorority rushing, I just assumed that my Jewish friends would not be discriminated against in any way. I was naive.
I just viewed a documentary about Albert Einstein and it dealt with his treatment as a scientific genius and a marvel of human possibility. Because he was Jewish, he suffered disgrace, humiliation, virtual exile and the fear of a possibly violent death. Now, most know the dangers of the Holocaust. I cannot understand how people think it did not occur or deny that so many people supported it or knew about it and didn’t really try to stop it. During years of respect for a spiritual life, and in times of renewal in volunteering and travel, I have recognized the hurt to the souls of my Jewish friends. In my case, so many, whether female or male, cherished friends or loves, have been Jewish. I don’t recall ever insulting or using derogatory cliches about Jews.
This morning, I received a column about the recent rise of antisemitism in schools where children are being called horrible names for being Jewish. Although I remain Episcopalian, I am now fully part of a devout Jewish family, including my school-aged grandchildren, and I worry about them. I hope that even in this more modern era we can see how close to home the blatant and horrible results of antisemitism may be.
My Pollyanna self still wants to believe that we can spend our lives loving and caring for people and not discriminating and stirring up negative and hateful comments. It is getting harder to keep positive. I hope that my notes may alert those people who know me that, of course, I will not stand for this kind of behavior around me and hope it will not continue. Thank goodness for the wonderful people of all faiths and those we should be spending time loving instead of hating.
