Unfortunately, we are living in a time when hate is becoming even more prevalent.

Honestly, I still don’t understand how it’s possible to hate someone because of their religion, their ethnicity, the color of their skin, or their sexual orientation.

It often leads to a lot of unanswered questions.

Do people really hate me because I’m Jewish?

I grew up with people hating me because of my religion without even knowing me.

Jews account for only 2.4% of the population in the United States. Yet we are on the receiving end of 55% of all religious hate crimes in the country.

There is so much hate and violence against the Jewish people, and it really doesn’t make sense to me.

It’s hard for me to understand how someone can hate me without even knowing me—just because of my religion.

Hate is such a strong word. I could never use it against a stranger.

And even if I knew a person, I would have a hard time hating them. I might dislike the things they do, but I could never hate them.

Still, without even having a conversation with me, some people choose to hate a perfect stranger because of my Jewish heritage.

We have regular conversations with our children about hate.

With six children—including three who were adopted—we have a very different dynamic in my home.

Not only are we Jewish, but we are black, white, and Asian.

Because of this, we have had to have many conversations as a family discussing why others hate us.

It’s heartbreaking that I have to teach my children about hate because of who we are.

Because society struggles to accept another human being who may look or act differently than they do, we have to have those really hard conversations with our children.

Those conversations also include the lesson that they are enough exactly as they are.

I love my family and the diversity in it. We are just human beings doing our very best to be the good in the world.

That’s what I hope people see when they see us. I hope they focus on the good we try to do.

I want our love for the people in this world to be so much bigger than the world’s hate.

We are so much stronger than hate.

We should never let another person’s hate define us.

Despite what others say and do, I have discovered that what they think simply doesn’t matter.

Someone’s choice to hate because of another person’s religion or the way they look is their choice. We should never allow it to determine who we are or what we can accomplish.

A person’s choice to hate says much more about who they are than anyone else.

You and I are no lesser of a person because of what another person chooses to think about us without even knowing who we are.

And even if they do know who we are, we should never take someone else’s opinion as the truth.

We are so much more than that!

You are enough exactly as you are!

We are more than enough no matter what we’re doing with our lives or what religion we belong to.

The world is full of all different kinds of people. It’s important that we embrace others for who they are rather than choosing to hate them just because they’re different than us.

The beauty of the world is that there is variety—from the flowers and the trees to the people around us. What kind of world would it be if we were all the same?

When we can finally learn to accept people for exactly who they are, we will find that the world is a much better place for all of us.

Rather than hating others, imagine how different the world would be if we chose to help people recognize that they are more than enough simply because they are free to be who they are.

No matter what you are doing in your life, as long as you are doing your best to be a good person, you are more than enough.

Never let anyone make you feel that you are not enough.

Whether it’s what you are doing in life, your sexual orientation, your religion, your ethnicity, what language you speak, or the color of your skin—you are enough.

We are all more than enough. And it’s important we love who we are.

I love that I’m Jewish.

Whenever I go to a non-Jewish event or gathering, I will always be very open about who I am. From the very beginning, I tell everyone that I’m Jewish.

For one, it avoids awkwardness when someone says something really negative.

And putting it out there from the beginning shows people that I’m proud of who I am.

Because of this, things never go down that negative road. They know who I am from the very beginning of our conversation together.

I never want to have to hide who I am.

When my husband, Rob and I were in South Africa, we shared a safari vehicle with a couple from Dubai.

Right away, I told them that we were Jewish.

And guess what? We had the most amazing time with this couple.

They were really nice, and we got along really well.

When we said goodbye, the husband said that other people need to experience similar situations to help with all the misunderstandings that happen in the world.

There were things that were different between us, but there were many more things where we were the same.  

I never want to pretend that I am something that I’m not.

That’s why I always talk about being Jewish because I want it to be a comfortable conversation for me—and for others.

We need to stand up against hate.

I recently saw the premiere of a commercial about standing up against hate and antisemitism.

It’s a really great advertising campaign because of the visual it creates.

It shows one small blue square on the screen that accounts for 2.4% of the entire screen.

They then explain that Jews account for 2.4% of the population. The visual shows that it’s not a lot, just a small portion of the whole population.

But we receive 55% of the hate crimes against religion, as I mentioned before.

The campaign is really about bringing awareness and accepting people for who they are.

If you want to participate. Follow the link and watch the video. It’s pretty powerful.

And if you want to do some good in the world, share the blue square hashtag (#) and help make others aware.

Together, we can stop the hate and help people know that no matter who they are—they are enough.  

The post Let’s Stop the Hate and Accept People for Who They Are appeared first on Simone Knego.

But before I do, I want to first admit that I really struggle with understanding how anyone can want to hurt someone or hate someone just because of who they are. I truly cannot understand it.  

Growing up in a Jewish home, our daily discussions were always centered on making the world a better place.

Tikkun olam—it’s a Jewish term that means to repair the world.

This was always our focus as a Jewish family and it’s still my motivating force in life. It’s why I’m involved in the philanthropic work that I do. And it is what I teach my children.

Tikkun olam wasn’t just taught in my family—it is a primary Jewish practice that is known throughout Judaism.

So when I see hate crimes against the Jewish people, I struggle to understand why. Why would individuals want to cause harm to people just because of their religion? How can you hate someone without even knowing them? Why?

Part of me hopes that a lot of it is just a misunderstanding. People only know what they know. Many people don’t know about other religions or other people. After all, it takes a lot to learn something new outside of what you already know.

It takes a lot to sit down and read about the Jewish people, to read about the Muslim people, or Buddhist people, or Mormons, or Christianity. I could go on and on with all of the different religions and people and ideas there are in the world. And it takes a lot to learn about any one of them.

So to help you as a reader understand the beautiful Jewish culture that I know and love, I want to focus on Judaism and Tikkun olam. Because, for me, it is a fundamental part of being Jewish.

When the Jewish people talk about repairing the world, it’s not about repairing the Jewish world—it’s about repairing all the world. 

Considering all the events that are happening around the world, there are so many things that need repaired.

If we all embraced Tikkun olam, imagine how we could help each other. Instead of holding such negativity in our hearts and purposely hurting one other, we can extend a hand of friendship.

This world needs repaired and that can only happen if we join forces and make it happen—together. Why do we spend so much time focusing on our differences instead of thinking about how we can do better? How we can help each other? How can we stand together and make the world a better place for our children and our children’s children?

We need each other. The world is a beautiful place with diverse people. Different people bring different ideas to the table. And everyone deserves a seat at that table.

I want my kids to understand that everyone is a part of the beautiful tapestry of this world.

Our world is interesting and exciting because of our differences.

Even within the same religion, each person is different and unique in how they practice that religion.

But just because we are different, and we may not agree on certain things, this does not mean that we should ever allow hate to come between us.

As Martin Luther King Jr. so eloquently said, “Darkness cannot drive out darkness; only light can do that. Hate cannot drive out hate; only love can do that.”

We need to learn to accept people exactly as they are.

It’s a lesson I have been taught my whole life—yet it’s one lesson that the world still seems to struggle with.

Sadly, the event in Texas wasn’t the first time Jewish people have been targeted and, unfortunately, it won’t be the last.

Antisemitism happens on a regular basis.

According to NPR, 1 in 4 Jewish Americans have experienced antisemitism in the last year. And many Jewish Americans are terrified because of the increasing antisemitic attacks. We shouldn’t have to live our lives in fear.

With the world so upside down right now, instead of reaching out with a helping hand, many people seem to be judging even more. It’s as if there’s less understanding, less tolerance, and less compassion in the world. There’s less love and a lot more struggle with one another.

Now don’t get me wrong—I know there are a lot of people out in the world doing good and making a difference. I would like to believe that I am counted in that group of people. But right now, the world seems to be silent. The indifference is deafening.

Elie Wiesel said, “The opposite of love is not hate, it’s indifference. The opposite of art is not ugliness, it’s indifference. The opposite of faith is not heresy, it’s indifference. And the opposite of life is not death, it’s indifference.”

A different world cannot be built by indifferent people.

I am a Jewish mother raising children in today’s antisemitic world.

I struggle because I am raising six children, three of whom are white, two who are black, and one who is Asian. All are Jewish.

I fear for my kids.

Not only do I fear how people are going to treat them and judge them, but I fear especially for their safety. And as a mother, there is nothing worse than fearing for the safety of your children.

With hostages being taken in synagogues, antisemitic attacks on the rise, and shootings happening in schools and churches, we need to take a step back and determine what we all can do at this very moment to repair our world.

We live in a melting pot of diversity. There are so many people with so much good to give. We have to stop hating people because of their differences and embrace what makes each of us unique.

My hope for my children is that they can live comfortably in this world and be accepted for who they are.

Because without a doubt, they will accept everyone around them—that’s how we’ve raised them.

We’ve raised them to appreciate life, to appreciate humanity, and to be kind to others.

Above all, we have taught them the principle of Tikkun olam and invited them to help repair the world.

Tikkun olam—it begins with each of us.

What are you going to do to repair the world?

The post The Jewish Practice of Tikkun Olam appeared first on Simone Knego.