Personal Dialogue Proposal

Proposal: Personal Dialogue 1. What topic do you plan to dialogue about? For my dialogue I have chosen to look at Anti-Semitism on college campuses. More specifically, I want to focus on the aspect of fear associated with the rise in anti-Semitic acts within the walls of what should be a safe environment. I want to discuss this topic with those who are actually experiencing these issues firsthand, the students, as well as those who must be concerned for their well-being/safety while away from home, the parents.

I myself have a certain perspective on this issue due to my experiences. Being at a school with a very small Jewish community, I have been lucky enough to not experience any anti-Semitism, although I do get the occasional question. For those students that go to highly populated Jewish schools seem to be having a different experience. Many have had to deal with offensive or even threatening images and words spread around their campus. Some have had to fight the school system itself to be more inclusive of Jews. I would like to see how these students have reacted to events as well as how the parents feel and deal with the repercussions from home. 2. Why did you choose this topic? What is your stake in dialoguing about it? Why is this topic salient for you right now? I chose this topic because I am Jewish. I have also seen several instances of anti- Semitism on college campuses during my time as a college student, specifically at schools my family members and friends have attended. My brother recently graduated from the name of school removed where there was an incident of hate within their campus. The chancellor of the university had made some offensive remarks about the Israel/Palestine issue resulting in outrage from students and parents alike. This ended up leading to the need for anti-Semitic training for staff. The students felt afraid and uncomfortable that their school was being run by someone who did not hear their side. Swastikas were spray painted across campus making parents fear for the safety of their children. Even on a college campus that is more than 50% Jewish, the students are ignored.

I have never spoken to my brother about this issue, but I am very interested to hear his response as well as my parents’ responses. My family is very in touch with the Jewish culture; however, we are not very religious. Some members of my family could get away with pretending to not be Jewish, but for my father and my brother, they would immediately be recognized due to certain physical features. I am curious to see if this has any effect on their take on the issue.

Within the last few years, there has been a rise in anti-Semitic behavior and actions across the world. Bombings, shootings, desecrations, vandalism and more top the list of offenses against Jews. A synagogue near my home was recently threatened with a bomb. Coming from a very Jewish area, this sparked a lot of fear in families. I want to be a part of the solution to this issue. The perceptions of others on this matter may raise some awareness on why we are constantly targeted, and why we have to continue to fight for our rights and safety in a place that should be open and accepting. Many people do not feel safe disclosing their Jewish identity to strangers for this reason. I myself included in that.

3. How do your identities, your experiences, your worldview and the lessons you learned growing up impact your views on this topic? I am Jewish and grew up in a very Jewish populated area. Living in a place like this my entire life, I was always very unsure of why there was so little discussion around Judaism taking place within society. My entire community had the comfort of knowing we were all the same. There was never any ounce of fear in me surrounding the issue of anti-Semitism until I got older. I never really accepted that the world would be different than my small and comfortable bubble until I actually left it. Coming to DU, I only knew four people. Of those, all three were Jewish. In my time here, I have only met 4 other Jews out of hundreds. It has been a very strange adjustment for me. People do not understand the Yiddish words I use, they have never heard of the foods I eat, or the holidays I celebrate. For me, I grew up watching Christmas movies, not Hanukah ones. I am more aware of other people’s religion then they are of mine. This made me afraid because I felt so out of place. Even at a young age when my father told me not to tell others I was Jewish; I never knew the strength of that until I came to DU. College opens many doors for intellectual and cultural expansion so I am surprised there is so little interest in my way of life.

My education of the Holocaust is extensive, and I am very passionate about the preservation of my people and our culture/history. I have had the pleasure of traveling to Israel, learning more about my people’s history through real world experiences. Seeing the violence there now between Israel and Palestine concerns me. As I said earlier, I live in a Jewish town. The town next to mine is very Christian and waspy. The people there are very anti-Semitic. There have been rumors for years about there being a Nazi group within their town. Even in high school myself and friends were called offensive names. Our hockey team had bagels thrown at them when playing the other town’s team. I have always been afraid that if a second Holocaust were to occur, my family and friends would be in danger. The proximity to the problem is frightening.

Within my surrounding world, there have been several instances of hate I have witnessed second hand. My brother’s campus had some issues with professors discriminating against Jews as well as my cousin’s. A synagogue by my house was threatened with a bomb this past year. I have learned throughout my life that Jews are constantly a target and in danger of violence so making sure campuses are safe and fair is a big deal for me. 4. Why have you chosen these specific people? (Explain who they are, your relationship to them, and the perspectives they bring to the table).

I chose to interview each member of my family. My brother has experienced these issues firsthand, so I wanted to get his real-life reactions. He went to school where, as I stated earlier, many instances of anti-Semitic behavior have occurred. He and I have never talked about the issues he saw so I would like to see how he reacted, if he was directly involved or if he knew anyone else that was, and how he felt returning to school the next year having the same Chancellor.

My sister is about to go to college, so I wanted to hear her concerns. She is going to be going to name of school removed, a not-so Jewish school. She is planning to rush a Jewish sorority, but I wonder if this will have any impact on her relationships with those outside of the community. She does not usually tend to worry about the unknown, so I am curious to find out if this is something she has yet considered or discussed.

My parents are both important to talk to as well because they have to fear for our safety in the real world. We are all Jewish but not very religious. My father in particular is very passionate about preservation. He has donated to and worked with the Holocaust museum for many years. His side of the family is more in touch with the religious aspects of Judaism. They usually are the ones trying to get us to be more active. My father also has been very vocal about his views on sharing our beliefs with others. His advice is always to stay quiet until there is some form of trust or comfortability with the person you are telling. He always says “you never know who you’re dealing with” so I believe he will bring a lot of interesting thoughts to the table.

My mother is the big worrier of the family. She is the stereotypical overprotective Jewish mother. Even as I have returned to school during the pandemic, she is calling me and texting me about my safety multiple times a day. I believe she is very concerned with the safety of her children and that is only intensified when they are out of the house, around something that could be potentially threatening. She would be a great addition to the dialogue because she is the extreme end of the scale while my sister would probably be the most laid back end. 5. Based on our class conversations and readings, how will you prepare your partners for your dialogue? (i.e. explaining the difference between dialogue, discussion and debate, describing the process, etc.). List your top community agreements that will you offer the group and explain why you chose them.

To prepare my participants for dialogue I want to make sure they are all individually aware of the topic I will be discussing as well as how to have a proper dialogue. I will explain to each of them that this is an open dialogue. I will be asking some guiding questions, but I am very open to moving with the conversation as it happens. If they need clarification on any of the events I present such as the issue from the University of Illinois or the synagogue bombings, I will explain them in detail before the conversation begins.

I want my participants to know that they are in a safe place to discuss their thoughts and opinions. If they are uncomfortable with any of the questions they do not have to answer. I will go over my topic openly, discuss what questions I have and give background into why I chose this topic and what I am looking to learn from our dialogue.

I am most concerned about the dialogue I will be having with my brother and my mother. For my brother, he tends to put himself above me, sort of in a parent position. He has been a buffer for my mother and I for years. It is important that we are on the same page when having the conversation. He tends to cut me off to tell me I am incorrect because I do not see things from his perspective. This is supposed to be an open dialogue so I will not be attempting to prove him wrong in any way. I simply want to get his point of view, listen, and record his responses. It is also important that he does not interfere with my mother’s dialogue as I am sure he will like to.

As for my mother, she and I do not always get along. We are both very stubborn and tend to react in similar ways when we feel we are being attacked. I want her to know that I am only looking for her to be open with me. I am willing to listen and not trying to have an argument or debate. Although she may get upset over some more sensitive questions, I am ready to make sure she is comforted and has the time to respond in a way that she feels is adequate. My community agreements will be very straightforward, many of which are from class discussions. First off, I want to be patient with my participants. As I said, some of the questions may spark raw emotions for my family members as some of them have had more experience than others in this matter. I will not be timing the dialogue to make sure they have sufficient time to talk through their answers as well as to ask any questions that arise. Another agreement I will be implementing is to be real, open and honest. My family is as real as it gets. We are all very open with each other and I want this dialogue to be a reflection of that. I do not want anyone to censor themselves during the conversation so I will make sure they are comfortable enough to share freely. I will make sure to be here and be engaged while we dialogue. I want my family to know I am interested in what they have to say. Showing them that I am listening, not interrupting them, is essential to them being able to talk openly. If my family needs, breaks will be allowed. If the emotions become overwhelming and they need to step away, that is perfectly fine. If they are not able to answer the question even after a break, I am open to rephrasing or going in another direction. Finally, I want my family to really focus on I statements. It is really important that each set of answers I get be unique to their personal experience. This dialogue is supposed to be made up of several different perspectives, so making sure they are truly that persons experience or reaction is imperative. 6. List 4 dialogic questions (based on our in-class conversation of asking better dialogic questions)

1. Have you ever experienced any form of anti-Semitism within your lifetime? If so where did it happen, what happened, and how did you feel?

2. How do you react when you see the increase in anti-Semitism within our country? 3. What do you think has led to this increase? Did it ever really go away? 4. Do you worry about your own/others’ safety in the real world? If so, how often?

What are your concerns?