(JEWISH GROUP) Being a Jew in Public

A Jewish man wearing a yarmulke was shot multiple times on his way to synagogue in Chicago. A rabbi in Maryland was attacked by a man wielding a wooden stake. In Manhattan, a man wearing a yarmulke was called “dirty Jew” before being punched in the face. Each of these assaults occurred within a two-week span last month.

One year ago, such scenes would have been unimaginable; few American Jews thought twice about publicly identifying as Jewish. Wearing a yarmulke, displaying a Star of David, or affixing a mezuzah to our doorways were solemn acts of faith and tradition—not risks to personal safety.

But since the Oct. 7 attack on Israel by Hamas, public expressions of Jewish identity are increasingly met with suspicion and hostility, leaving many in our community feeling vulnerable and unsafe. A recent Anti-Defamation League report underscores this shift, showing antisemitic incidents across the U.S. have surged over 200%—an unsettling reflection of how the Israel-Hamas war has impacted American streets.

In my hometown of Houston, our diverse, welcoming community has long respected and embraced all faiths, and peaceful expressions of Jewish identity have blended seamlessly into the city’s rich tapestry. Aside from the occasional incident, such as the man who was flagged by the FBI after posting his support of killing Jews, antisemitism has not been a major issue here.

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With some notable exceptions, few care about anti-Semitism unless it can be used as a cudgel against the other side. The Tree of Life shooting took place under the Orange Menace, think here will be another, bigger one?