I am rattled. I am shaken and scared. I am a religious Jew. I go to synagogue almost every week and I work for a Jewish organization. I bring my children to services and I watch my husband lead our congregation from the bima. I am an educator who has run synagogue schools for 12 years and taught in them for 18. I have been to Squirrel Hill many times over our years in Pennsylvania, and I am so so sad today. I am also angry.
Angry because when I read that this shooting happened during a BABY NAMING I gasped so loud I could no longer keep this away from my 8 year old. And I couldn’t tell him what happened—not yet. I am going to read more, to try to figure out how to tell my children what happened in a way that won’t make them afraid to go to synagogue—the place we go every week—the place where their father works—and I just can’t think of a way to tell them this. But they go to Hebrew school and a Jewish Day School—so they will certainly hear about it, and that means I need to tell them first. But right now I just can’t. because then they will understand Anti-Semitism is about them. And that people don’t just shoot other people, but our people. That it could happen to them. And that shouldn’t matter, because we care about everyone.
But actually, it does matter—this is about us, and it makes us scared and angry and so so sad.
I found a few articles for talking to children about Anti-Semitism that I thought might be helpful.
PJ Library: How to Talk to Children about Anti-SemitismJewish Education in a Scary World
JSSA: Tips for Talking to Children about Anti-Semitism
Jteach: Art Based Techniques for Challenging Times
And that is all I have for right now.
~Julie
