This Time is Different

by Nina Fondiller Woldin

On Thursday night I wrapped up a wonderful 10XSTRONGER virtual class, marking the end of this session. The group included both familiar faces and new members, and we shared our experiences of what it means to be recognized as Jews today.

The next morning, I visited the Anne Frank exhibit at the YIVO Institute. Anne Frank’s diary, The Diary of a Young Girl, was first published in 1947. The movie adaptation, The Diary of Anne Frank, premiered in New York in 1959, and most Jewish people are well acquainted with her story.

As I went through the exhibit, I kept thinking about the other times I had focused on her experiences – as a child, as a young adult – and it was emphatically clear to me that during those times, it felt remote. I never thought anything like this would happen in my lifetime, or any time in the future. This time was different. I could easily imagine being singled out, forbidden to join institutions or be hired for certain jobs, and even being arrested was no longer impossible to imagine.

This time was different. I could easily imagine being singled out, forbidden to join institutions or be hired for certain jobs, and even being arrested was no longer impossible to imagine.

But there is one difference I can find between the experience I was seeing recreated before me and the one I am living – Jewish people are no longer hiding; we are bolder and more resilient this time, and we must continue to support each other and to remain positive.

I am so grateful because my work at Chai Mitzvah provides the opportunity to do these things! I invite you to join us for upcoming events that aim to empower and educate:

1. Because We Were Slaves: The Jewish Struggle for Justice in Making America Home: Beginning in the early 1900s, many private universities had policies that effectively placed quotas on the number of Jews admitted. We will compare these policies with college admissions of the twentieth century and today. Please join us on Monday, August 18, at 7:30 PM ET
2. Scholars Circle Virtual live lecture: Protocols of the Elders of Anti-Zion: The Global Conspiracy Against the Jews by Dr. Andrew Pessin The extensive attention rightly paid to the infamous forgery, The Protocols of the Elders of Zion—an antisemitic conspiracy theory believed by millions (or perhaps billions) to this very day, to be factual — overlooks the fact that there actually does exist a real conspiracy, a global conspiracy, albeit in precisely the opposite direction. It’s time to examine their protocols, these Elders of Anti-Zion. Please join us on Thursday, August 14, at 7:00 PM ET

Let us continue to stand together, support one another, and uphold the values of our community.