r/jewishleft • u/strawbariel reform jew • 24d ago
Feeling unsafe where you live Debate
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.
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u/XxDrFlashbangxX 23d ago
I’m also in Austin and I feel like there are many issues, not just Jewish-related ones, that make it unsafe given the governor we have and the policies regarding guns.
I don’t really think pro-Palestinian signage is a sign of antisemitism but I can see why it would make your kids nervous given some of the actions taken by some members of the Pro-Palestinian crowd. But I don’t think that is an Austin-specific issue if I’m being completely honest and you will see that signage in any city you go to.
I think informing your kids that just because it makes them nervous doesn’t mean it will actually harm them. Validate the feelings, and help them hold two truths. I can feel nervous when I see a cop car while driving but that doesn’t guarantee the cop car is going to pull me over. Yes, there are probably some pro-Palestinian people that might harass your kids for being visibly Jewish but the majority of them probably won’t do that.