Even without a war in Israel, there’s never been an easy time to be Jewish.

Looking back in history and thinking about the Holocaust, it’s amazing that Jews, as a people, were able to survive and rebuild.

We always use the term “Never Forget” because, over such a short timeframe, Jews went from living their daily lives to being put into internment and death camps and executed. Jews lost almost everything during the Holocaust, but we persevered.

As a people, we never want to forget what we have gone through and how far we’ve come.

Yet, given the recent events regarding Israel, an increased level of antisemitism is coming to the surface, and it causes us to become more fearful.

What happened on October 7 in Israel is devastating.

The terrorist attack wasn’t just devastating for the Jews; it’s devastating for all humans.

It’s unimaginable to think that you could be asleep in your bed with your baby asleep in their crib, and terrorists come in and begin killing and kidnapping men, women, and children.

They have killed so many people—so many children and babies. And they have killed them in the most brutal of ways.

People were shot at point-blank. People were beheaded. Children were killed in front of their parents, and parents were killed in front of their children.

Over 200 hostages were taken to Gaza, and we have no idea how they are doing or exactly where they are.

It’s important that we all understand the magnitude of what happened and the terror that these Jews experienced.

For the first few days after this brutal act, it seemed like the world recognized the pain of the Jewish people and were sympathetic.

But, as time has moved on, it’s as if the conversation has changed direction.

Support for the Jewish people is waning.

Although our US government is in complete support of Israel, in the last ten days, antisemitism in the United States has risen almost 400%.

This includes graffiti, disparaging and cruel comments, and even violence against Jews.

This is also happening in the UK as well as in other places around the world.

There is no easy solution for what is happening to Jews everywhere.

My heart is breaking for my people.

And although I can’t stop the hate, I can share my voice.

The Jewish people are suffering.

I have a lot of family who still live in Israel, and this is truly an unbelievable time for them.

Right now, the Israeli people are suffering, and Jews around the world are suffering.

Every Jewish person I know has family members in Israel.

There is not one Jew who has been unaffected by this tragedy.

We live in fear that when we say, “Never Again,” that never again is now.

As Jews, we fear that if we don’t have the support of our friends and our colleagues, that once again, things can change in an instant.

We can never forget!

There’s been a lot of discussion about silence on the internet regarding the war in Israel.

People are not saying one word to their Jewish friends and not reaching out to them to make sure that they are okay.

If you are my friend, know this: Every time a non-Jew posts support for the Jewish people, it makes a difference.

It gives us hope that maybe, just maybe, history will not repeat itself. If we have friends who will be there to support us and not look the other way, maybe things will be okay for us.

Because, right now, the Jewish people are not okay. We are hurting.

It’s important that you reach out as a human being and see how your Jewish friends are doing. If you were friends with them yesterday, you should still care about them today.

They need you, and they need to know they are supported.

I am not a person who believes in war.

The current war in Israel is heartbreaking to me. I love people and I believe in helping all of humanity.

Tikun Olam is all about repairing the world. Being Jewish, this is how we are raised. It is in our DNA and everything that we hold dear.

But there are certain times when we need to protect ourselves. Because we promised ourselves, “Never Again.”

I believe every life has significance. And nobody in Israel wants to kill innocent civilians.

My heart hurts for the Palestinian civilians who continue to suffer even more because of what is happening right now with Hamas.

We need each other.

I know that everyone will have their different allegiances when it comes to this war in Israel.

But my hope is that we can still try to understand one another and learn where the other person is coming from.

For all of the families that lost their children and for all of the children who lost their parents, I cannot even begin to imagine the pain that they are feeling.

And for the families of the 203 people who were taken hostage, my heart breaks. As a mom of six children, I don’t know how I would have the strength to move forward if this happened to my family.

My greatest hope is that one day, we will reach a point where the statement in the Bible that says, “Nation shall not lift up sword against nation, neither shall they learn war any more,” will actually be a reality.

In the meantime, I am asking you to check on your Jewish friends.

Because we are not okay, and we need your help.