Unfortunately, Gabe, Lara, and Ellen all experienced anti-Semitism at some point in their lives. However, none thought that they had experienced any sort of institutional, systemic discrimination because they were Jewish. Instead, they pointed to individual actions, like jokes, vandalism, and stereotypical comments, that operated on a lower, more direct level. These actions ranged from micro-aggressions to just plain aggressions, but none were physically violent.
When Gabe was 15, working at his first job, his bosses would sometimes call him a "dirty Jew" after they had been drinking. More recently, he pointed out some comments made by close coworkers who did not think he was Jewish that riffed on negative stereotypes about Jewish people. After he responded by saying that he was Jewish, his coworkers were embarrassed, which Gabe thought was good. He then said that these instances did not "shape" him, and explained that he continued to work with and remain close with all of these coworkers. In fact, he thought that any harm from hearing the statements was worth the opportunity to call out anti-Semitism and "make sure that they understood that they probably shouldn't say [those things]" to him.
When asked about his experiences with structural discrimination, Gabe highlighted instead how his other identities and characteristics modified his experience of society.
This transcript has been redacted.
― Gabe, (1:46:02)
In fact, Gabe thought that people did not often perceive him as white, which I discuss more in the section on Jewish identity. For those Jews who may be perceived as non-white, or at least as Jewish, he thought challenges would be more common.
Lara had people make fun of her physical appearance, attributing certain characteristics to her Jewish heritage. She also experienced comments like Gabe, usually in the context of a joke, which she explicitly named as micro-aggressions. Often, friends and close acquaintances made these remarks.
Other examples of anti-Semitism that Lara talked about included acts of violence directed against Jewish people anywhere, which caused Lara to feel stressed.
But I think— you know, nationally, there's definitely some— there's— there's some stress, you know, if a synagogue is shot up, if there are literal Nazis. If the president endorses literal Nazis, there's definitely some stress there for my family and— and my community.
― Lara, (1:12:02)
Here, acts of violence made Lara feel worried about her own safety ("there's definitely some stress there for my family") and also the safety of a broader community — Jews in general — that she felt connected to. While responding to a question about anti-Semitic vandalism at her elementary and middle school in the summer of 2019, she expressed anger about what would spur someone to paint swastikas on a school.
Ellen's experience of anti-Semitism was largely similar to Lara's and Gabe's, though her experience included comments about her physical appearance that were the opposite of those directed at Lara. Instead of comments describing her features as Jewish, Ellen pointed out comments like "you don't look Jewish" as anti-Semitic in both a personal and systemic way. For Ellen, these comments were anti-Semitic because they connected Judaism with physical traits and racialized Judaism. She also highlighted anti-Semitic remarks made by Gabe's father and other acquaintances that played off similar stereotypes and themes as those reported by Lara and Gabe.
Though she did not think that she experienced discrimination at school or in the workplace because of her Jewish identity, she did report that her father often said that he did not get into West Point because he was Jewish. She thought it likely that her parents experienced more discrimination of that kind than she did.
I think [my father] probably experienced [anti-Semitism] more than I did. [...] You know, and him especially in the business world. [...] I can remember— you know, there was a country club in Wethersfield that— that I remember my parents saying, well, not only could we not afford it, but they wouldn't let Jewish people in.
― Ellen, (1:25:04)
For Lara, Gabe, and Ellen, anti-Semitism reared its head as harmful statements far more than harmful actions or group discrimination. However, all three were keenly aware of the fact that anti-Semitism still existed and that Jews had suffered for many years due to anti-Semitic violence and discrimination.