By Megan Ruge, News Editor
On Saturday, Oct. 27, 2018, I got a Facebook notification saying that a friend had marked themselves safe from the “The Shooting at Tree of Life Congregation Synagogue.”
My heart leaped out of my chest. Instantly, I took to Facebook to find out what happened. I was filled with sadness for those who were injured and lost lives. I was filled with fear for the community of which I now consider myself a part. For the first time in what seems like the entirety of my lifetime, the Jewish community fell victim to terrorism.
When I moved to Pennsylvania as a child, I was told to hide the fact that my family identified as Jewish. The area in which we lived was predominantly Christian and held a prejudice about Judaism. This was something I didn’t understand, but I understood bullying and I knew I didn’t want that.
Because I was hiding my religion, I also wasn’t learning about it. As time went on, I began to seek other forms of religion but never truly felt like they were meant for me.
Now, as a 22-year-old woman, I have finally decided to pursue Judaism as my religious path. Though I still feel anxiety concerning religion, I know that now is the time to find my place and I was beginning to feel comfortable in it.
Waking up Sunday morning, I no longer felt as comfortable.
I sat reflecting on how anti-Semitism affected me as a child and how immensely wrong that is. I began to think about how easy it was for me to brush over these prejudices and normalized them. I thought it was okay that Judaism made people in this community uncomfortable. As a child, I shouldn’t have had to feel as if something I was proud of would make other people uncomfortable.
No one should have to feel this way and at this time in history, it is important that we fight to help others understand that anti-Semitism and all other religion related prejudices are not okay. I would like to challenge the Susquehanna community to stand up against this. It is important that you check in with those Jewish people on campus, as we are all feeling the impact of the shooting and what it means for the world. But also stand with members of other marginalized religions as they, too, are struggling.
Lastly, always be accepting of your fellow human. It is important as a community that we set an example for those in our presence. Show the world that we are doing important work by welcoming and supporting all who step on to our campus.
We do not have to agree with everyone to accept them for who they are. Remember to strive for greatness
The editorials of The Quill reflect the views of individual members of the editorial board. They do not necessarily reflect the views of the entire editorial board or of the university. The content of the Forum page is the responsibility of the editor in chief and the Forum editor.
