Antisemitism, a Young Person's Perspective

The Charlotte Jewish News, May 2023

By Arielle Gorbatov, Grade 8

Celebrating Jewish Youth Essay Contest Winner

I’ve always been aware of antisemitism’s existence. Ever since I was four, I have listened to my grandparents recite their memories of Nazi-occupied Europe with tears in my eyes. Yet, I never thought that it would reach me. The concept seemed so distant, growing up in a predominantly Jewish neighborhood and attending an Orthodox yeshiva. My Jewish identity had seemed so innocent then, pure and untouched by the vile hatred that would soon taint it. I lived without the shadows of fear and uncertainty creeping up in the periphery of my eyes. Today, being just thirteen, my life has already been irrevocably changed by the maws of antisemitism.

For me, it started in 2020, fifth grade, the beautiful curtains of naivety were thrust open as I entered the world of social media only to find myself submerged in an unnavigable labyrinth of merciless hatred. At first, I thought what I had seen was an isolated incident, but I would soon learn that antisemitism had unrelentingly sunk its teeth into the media and was pumping its poison like a blackened heart sewed from malice. As I explored Jewish media and saw the sheer amount of contempt that plagued it, apprehension began to claw through my consciousness, though I hastily pushed it to the back of my mind.

May 2021 — an outbreak of violence in Israel, an outbreak of violence on the internet, millions of posts, and thousands of hate crimes were all hitting too close with people attacked minutes away from my home and endless disturbing trending hashtags engulfing Twitter:#Hitlerwasright, #Jewishterrorists, #Hitlerthegreat. It was terrifying to walk the streets seeing protestors screaming and bold graffiti splattered against the asphalt seemingly screaming at me, “The Jews have become the Nazis they once feared.” From there, the sweetness of the safe haven that I called home began to rot.

June 2021 — a fifth-grade student at the elementary school I had attended walked into school dressed head to toe in an SS uniform wielding an essay on Hitler’s great achievements and that infamous mustache painted on his face.

In September, I returned to school post-COVID and began venturing into NYC once again. Consequently, I ceased to adorn my Mogen David each morning. What I once believed to be inconceivable very quickly evolved into a nightmarish reality. Even in a Jewish neighborhood, whispers were still audible. An altercation at school could result in shouts of “KIKE!” The streets and subways of Manhattan lay blanketed by swastikas and slurs. While all undeniably vile, in hindsight, these instances felt subtle. I had witnessed them, internalized them, and yet I still believed myself to be removed from them. After all, they had never been directed toward me specifically, not yet.

July 2022 - I move to Charlotte. The atmosphere surrounding my being Jewish appeared to entirely change. Whereas I previously had the support of a multitude of Jewish students and community members I felt no such thing here. The whispers of Jew-hatred suddenly transformed into full-fledged screams: “Kanye was right,” “I’ll Jew him down,” “Hey, [Anne Frank],” “Come here, Jew,” and “Heil Hitler!” As my fellow human beings spout hatred and my peers draw swastikas on their arms as they march down the halls, I question whether I should hide who I am. A classmate asks, “What did you get on the test?” “97%,” I reply. “Oh, well that’s because you’re a Jew,” they retort. It is in these heartstopping moments that I begin to wonder if being a proud Jew is still safe.

Nowadays, I’m almost reluctant to share my Jewish identity, cautious of the consequences. I say almost because I won’t let the hostile prejudice of others shame me into hiding who I am. This is how it all started 84 years ago, with lies, bigotry, stereotypes, but more importantly, with fear. Over thirty members of my family were unjustly murdered by a discriminatory regime that promoted the very same behavior that is not only prevalent in the world today, but in schools, in children. For three years I’ve watched idly and helplessly as antisemitism has festered through numerous communities. Heinous animosity towards Jews has no place in a country that preaches freedom of religion.

Arielle is thirteen years old and a student in the eighth grade. She cherishes any time that she can spend with my family. Arielle loves learning history, becoming absorbed in her writing, and spending countless hours reading.