Where Did You Go?

5 May

We were friends.

We hung out.

We interacted almost every single day.

We laughed together.

We learned together.

We lived together.

We prayed together.

We worked together.

We traveled together.

We cheered for the same teams.

We made memories.

I celebrated you.

I celebrated your family.

I mourned with your family.

I supported your causes.

I voted for you.

We had things in common.

We shared common ground.

Then October 7 happened.

1,200 people in Israel were killed, and 251 people were taken hostage.

I expressed my pain. My sadness. My anger. My fear.

You were silent.

You said, privately, “I’m here for you, but I don’t post about Israel.”

You said, privately, “I just don’t have the words.”

I started posting about Israel more often.

I watched as an increasing number of synagogues, Jewish businesses, Jewish events, and Jewish people around the world were targeted and attacked — and killed — just for being Jewish.

I began to loudly and more visibly celebrate my Jewishness.

I started attending rallies, vigils, and other events that advocated for the return of the hostages and an end to antisemitic attacks.

I started posting about antisemitism more often.

You saw me call out hate and ask my friends for their support.

You said nothing.

You didn’t care about my perspective.

You didn’t want to learn.

You stopped engaging with my social posts. All of them.

You stopped keeping in touch.

You never asked how I was.

You never called for the return of the hostages. Not even the American ones.

You never said anything publicly to support me or my people.

But you “found the words” to post in support of other groups when they were attacked.

And you “found the words” to post anti-Israel and antisemitic content.