You may not know this, but on this day in 1692, the first execution following the Salem Witch trials took place. Bridget Bishop was hanged as a result of people accusing her of being a witch. And if I’m not mistaken, it was around this time that the term “witch hunt” entered society’s lexicon.

I share this in context with what we have been witnessing and experiencing over the last several weeks.

Over the last 5+ years since I began writing this column, each week, I try to figure out what would be beneficial for me to share, be it a specific take on a situation or important information that comes across my desk. Never in my wildest dreams could I have imagined what the last week has brought us.

On Friday, as the initial protests were beginning with news that ICE agents were conducting targeted raids to detain people who were in the country illegally, you may not know that the FBI and the Department of Homeland Security issued its latest alert warning that there was an “elevated threat” to both the Jewish community and the Israeli community. The alert stated, “The ongoing Israel-Hamas conflict may motivate other violent extremists and hate crime perpetrators with similar grievances to conduct violence against Jewish and Israeli communities and their supporters. Foreign terrorist organizations also may try to exploit narratives related to the conflict to inspire attacks in the United States. The FBI and DHS, therefore, urge the public to remain vigilant and to report any threats of violence or suspicious activity to law enforcement.” Let that sink in for a minute. The federal government issued a warning because it anticipates that there WILL be future targeted incidents, even though the announcement did not specify any known threats. The fact that they felt an announcement was needed is concerning.

Now, add this to those who are experiencing a different kind of fear that they will be rounded up, even if they are US citizens, by the ICE raids currently happening in Southern California. What we are witnessing and experiencing are people living in fear because of who they are versus what they have done. Think about that for a minute… Many people in our community are experiencing being targeted because of either the God they pray to, the color of their skin, or where they come from.

And while all of this has been going on, you may have missed Monday’s vote in DC as the House of Representatives overwhelmingly passed H.Resolution 481: Condemning the rise in ideologically motivated attacks on Jewish individuals in the United States, including the recent violent assault in Boulder, Colorado, and reaffirming the House of Representatives commitment to combating antisemitism and politically motivated violence.  

I know all of this is a whirlwind, and we could get whiplash. The fact remains that in times like this, many people often feel helpless and unsure how they can affect change, let alone feel like we may never see the “light at the end of the tunnel” of when all of this will end.

Now, more than ever, we need to take control of the things we can control. We should never be made to live in fear for who we are, yet a very small minority of people are making many of us feel that way. We must remember that we need to stand together. Whether it is contacting your local elected officials at both the State and Federal level, writing letters to the editor in local papers, or any number of additional ways we can advocate for what we believe and how these actions can begin to make more people aware of how the current climate is impacting us on a personal level.