I would like to honor Jewish heritage month by telling the community about my friend. I will call him David but that is not his real name.
David is a Mizrahi Jew who is an artist. He is gay. He is about my age and we actually met on a dating app and became platonic friends.
David’s family left Pakistan where they lived for many generations for America. Others in David’s family made Aliyah (which in Hebrew means “to rise”), and moved to Israel.
David is very in touch with his Jewish identity, and incorporates Jewish symbols into much of his work.
A few months ago, David was told he couldn’t display an Israeli flag at the studio where he worked. Despite having family in Israel with which he is quite close, family enduring a war, he was told to take it down. He left the studio, having been made to feel very unwelcome.
David found a new studio. The new studio told David recently that his work utilizes too much imagery that is evocative of Israel (the Star of David), and that he couldn’t work there anymore.
David is currently looking for another new studio.
What David is experiencing right now is what many Jews are experiencing right now: intolerance of Jewishness from people who are supposedly accepting of all. You know, the type of people with signs on their lawns that say things like “science is real” and “black lives matter”. Do Jewish lives matter to these people? There is no clear answer.
David’s experience sheds light on the unfortunate reality faced by many Jews today: a rising tide of intolerance and exclusion, even within communities that pride themselves on acceptance and inclusivity. Jewish heritage, in all its diversity and richness, deserves to be celebrated and respected. David’s journey as an artist, a gay man, and a proud Mizrahi Jew, underscores the importance of standing up against prejudice and fostering true inclusivity.
Questions for Discussion:
- How can communities that pride themselves on inclusivity ensure they are truly inclusive of all identities, including Jewish identities?
- What steps can be taken to combat intolerance and prejudice within progressive or liberal communities?
GayJew
Article URL : https://simple.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Star_of_David