Jewish parents have difficult conversations with their teenagers about campus antisemitism

I am an American Jew. I went to American University for undergrad, for grad school. You know, I think back to like times, what made me right And you, you, you. College is like that time, right? And listen, not everyone has to go to college. It’s not about that. But my son has been looking at colleges and you know, most of the time most parents look at like, oh, college size, location. If you’re if your child’s an athlete, you’re looking at the athletic programs, you know, you’re looking at courses of study. No one in 2024 is thinking, is my kid gonna be able to walk around safely and wear like a, you know, a cross, the Star of David, anything like that, that that’s not something that we as Americans in the land of the free and the home of the brave think about when we look at colleges. But but that’s our reality now as Jewish parents. That’s our reality. So my son is actually like we are actually of a family that is now thinking like we are not looking at university in the United States at all period. It’s hard even though they’ve we’ve grown up with a strong Jewish identity. You know they just want to you know fit in and be just like everybody else in a certain extent. And it’s the point of where educating them to understand what what is anti-Semitism because they could hear a slur or something, whatever, or or hear something. For example. My other one was asked by someone, hey, why are you guys killing all the Gazans now? Why are you killing all the Gazans? He’s here, you know, So it’s that blame that’s happening over there. But now you have something to do with it. And sometimes pure ignorance, sadly and actually ignorance is what’s I think led to a lot of what we have going on. So my son has seen those side by side pictures of like the Nazis blocking entrances to Jews next to what’s being what’s happening right now on college campuses in America. And as a parent to have to explain to your child that in 2024 that is what’s happening is like, I mean it’s it’s it’s to say, it’s heartbreaking to say, it’s to say it’s upsetting. It doesn’t even scratch the surface I have to explain to and and my son is he proudly wears the Star of David around his neck. He started a a Jewish club in his public high school. It’s it’s after school hours it’s you know it’s not it’s like you know it’s all falls within the rules that that that he and I have to talk about the fact that it’s that there’s still places that it’s like unsafe I’ve you know we we talk about safety right. You as a parent you talk to your kid about safety in general like be aware don’t go walk down a dark alley late at night. You know don’t go don’t go places alone. I mean I’m now having to have a conversation with him where it’s like don’t go places Jewish and and to me it’s it’s so it’s it’s it’s it’s gut wrenching. Yeah. I mean our Jewish identity is pretty strong and have had these discussions not just since October 7th, but even prior to cause anti-Semitism has been spiking here in America for a long time. And I actually I I I write and lecture about this at the security conferences across America. So yeah it’s a it’s very prevalent especially since my I’ve a son in 11th grade now and so we’re starting to look at certain universities and places. There’s a big interest in music. So it’s he’s aware of it and I just had a had a talk just the other day. I was like he’s looking at music programs and there’s one at A at a local university. I’m like don’t feel comfortable sending you there just because of the political environment that’s situated at that particular university.