For American Jews, a 'Delicate Dance' of How Visible to Be in a Time of War
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Since the Oct. 7 Hamas attacks on Israel and rise in antisemitic threats worldwide, American Jews are grappling with daily questions about their safety and public displays of their identity.
Anti-Israel protests on college campuses, bomb threats at schools and other signs of growing aggression toward Jews have sparked community response in the form of prayer, counterprotest and a reaffirmation of faith, Jewish leaders say. Jews across the spectrum of beliefs, they say, are assessing how much of their identity they’re willing to show and what to keep private.
The war has given some Jews new resolve to show their faith, wearing head coverings or Stars of David for the first time, while others are cutting back their outdoor Hanukkah displays. In the month following Oct. 7, there were 832 antisemitic incidents in the U.S., up from the 200 incidents reported in the same period a year ago, according to the Anti-Defamation League.
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A recent poll by the Jewish Federations of North America found that Jews were twice as likely to say they worry “very much” about their personal safety compared with the general public since the Hamas attack. Poll respondents who said they wore distinctive Jewish items, such the small skullcap-like head covering often called a kippah, were twice as likely to say they felt worried “all the time” relative to Jews who didn’t wear them.
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At Alef Bet Jewelry, sales of necklaces bearing the Star of David have risen strongly since Oct. 7, says Alissa Haroush, vice president of the maker and seller of Judaica jewelry. “We have never seen anything like this,” says Haroush, who is working weekends trying to keep up with orders from customers. She says customers are frequently telling her that they’ve never worn or wanted a star necklace until the past few weeks.
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