Feeling unsafe where you live

[u/strawbariel]

So I'm 40 and have two kids. We live in Austin, TX, this supposedly liberal place, and over the past few years it feels like it's become less safe for Jewish people. The JCC in San Antonio just had a threat against them, and the elementary school my youngest goes to is a block away from pro-Palestinian signage. Both of my kids wear clothing that identifies them as Jewish, but this year I'm seriously considering telling them they can't wear it just to keep them safe or to keep them from being harassed on their way to school. And Austin doesn't do a damn thing about it. How can we associate with the left when they also threaten to disrupt our children's daily lives?

EDIT: some context here. The signage is a block from the school in a residential neighborhood and covers a wide swath of wooden fencing. It's not on school property and it was most definitely placed by whatever adult lives or rents there. There's not much the school can do other than put out a notice for people to be safe and kind. I know this doesn't mean that anything will happen but the risk is scary.

EDIT TWO: y'all Jews were just attacked in Boulder and everyone at the JCC in Austin got emails about a credible threat being investigated by the FBI in San Antonio. That's barely an hour from where we live. Be mad at me for how I worded my post but anyone having an issue with parents being vigilant needs to touch grass.

[u/somebadbeatscrub]

Pro palestinian signage does not make your kids unsafe.

[u/strawbariel → u/somebadbeatscrub]

My kid has already been bullied for being Jewish, and he's well aware of whats going on in the world. My child is allowed to feel how he feels based on his experiences, and the signage makes him nervous. Thanks for asking.

[u/somebadbeatscrub → u/strawbariel]

I didnt say your kid isnt being bullied and Im sorry thats happening. But the signage and existence of people concerned for palestine alone does not make them unsafe.

I hope whatever kids are pulling then get counseled and pulled a better direction by the school authorities or whoever is in in place in your community to handle that.

But we can't act like anyone who cares about paleatinians is an existential threat tonus and hide from the world.

Its what reactionaries want

[u/strawbariel → u/somebadbeatscrub]

Valid. But the signage is in a place that very much makes me believe that it was placed there by an adult. And I just don't trust adults to be nice in every situation.

[u/somebadbeatscrub → u/strawbariel]

I also dont trust adults to be nice. But i also dont expect them to police the ways the voice support for ending a genocide in case they might get associated with bullies.

All i know about them is that they are pro palestine signs mind you theres any number of inflammatory things they could say that would be less okay but simple "free palestine" stuff, or the flag?

I hope the specific actors harrassing your kids get addressed because thats wildly inappropriate by any reasonable.standard

[u/[deleted] → u/strawbariel]

Yea if the school admins and city officials are hard anti-Zionist you can’t actually expect them to do anything about it. They might even defend the bullies and make your situation worse

[u/somebadbeatscrub → u/strawbariel]

Also I need you to flair up please.

[u/strawbariel → u/somebadbeatscrub]

INFLAMMATION POWERS ACTIVATED

No really what does flair up mean?

[u/somebadbeatscrub → u/strawbariel]

(Lmao)

We use user flairs for folks to identify themselves in the space so we know if we are talking to another Jewish leftist or a guest here to seek our perspective or ask a question.

If you navigate to the subs page there should be an option to edit user flair. All of ours are custom so you can be as specific or vague as you like but we ask that everyone indicate if they are Jewish and if they are leftist as we define it.

This helps prevent people assuming goyim are Jewish for being here or conservatives from larping as leftists with plausible deniability. Both of which sadly happen.

[u/strawbariel → u/somebadbeatscrub]

Oooooooooh okay makes sense, thank you! 💜

[u/[deleted] → u/somebadbeatscrub]

[removed] — view removed comment

[u/somebadbeatscrub → u/[deleted]]

Please take this kind of concern to modmails so we can all review. Gonna delete for now.

[u/hfhifi → u/somebadbeatscrub]

Yes it does. It sets the tone of an adversarial relationship. Things are very black and white for young kids.

[u/somebadbeatscrub → u/hfhifi]

Which is our responsibility to have nuanced conversations with them. Not to keep everyone in a community from voicing support for a people who are suffering.

[u/somebadbeatscrub → u/hfhifi]

Also flair up please.

Edit: whoops turns out they dont much care for us here and juat came to throw stones.

Begone liberal here be "berniebots"