Sundown Towns
Jewish lives don't belong in Sundown Towns. Have you ever felt that being who you are made your town unsafe? Do you feel unsafe?
I do feel that way sometimes. My last name sounds German and Jewish, and I worry about becoming the target of a hate crime. Growing up, I learned that many celebrities, business owners, and working people had to change their names to avoid discrimination in order to succeed. This was the reality in America, a country that couldn't live up to its own ideals. I was bullied for my Jewish-sounding last name and still bear the scars. Despite this, I was a scrappy kid.
I've considered changing my name from the trafficked one I was given to my birth name, but I haven't done it yet. It might be risky, but as a Mi’kmaq, I refuse to give in to bullies and fear. I've never backed down before, and I won't start now. Some might call it arrogance or recklessness, but it's just me being Mi’kmaw, stubborn and proud. Moreover, my birth name doesn't carry any ethnic markers outside the indigenous community, so I would just blend into white America.
The more we divide ourselves by race, nationality, and ethnicity, the more we enable atrocious acts against others. This division prevents us from seeing the humanity in others and from condemning the actions that hurt us the most. Instead, we end up wanting those same actions inflicted on another group. This is the result of unprocessed trauma.
Neil A. Kilpatrick put it well when he said, "…and just as importantly, if you ever want to see any change in your world... The more we divide ourselves by race, nationality, ethnicity, etc., the weaker we are as a group, as workers, as individuals... this is our commonality, we are all workers, the human shade of our skin, our age, our gender, where we were born, etc., is truly irrelevant if you want change for all, or for the society your grandchildren will live in..."
European immigrants, whether Irish, Italian, or Jewish, didn't arrive with wealth. They were peasants who brought only what they could carry. Through hard work and determination, they achieved the status they enjoy today. This narrative includes our African American, Hispanic American, and Asian American brothers, sisters, and them.
These immigrants, often blacklisted from mainstream industries, built Hollywood from scratch. Owners, producers, actors, directors, writers, and entertainers had to change their birth names to remove any Jewish identification before they could succeed in the entertainment industry. Some were advised by studios, others were directly told that their birth names would prevent them from being cast, and a few changed their names independently, understanding the unspoken rule: Jewish names didn't appear on marquees, movie posters, or credits if the goal was mainstream American stardom.
Who they really are, what their birth names were, when and why they changed them, who told them to do it, whether the decision was voluntary or effectively mandatory, how the practice connected to broader antisemitism in an industry paradoxically founded by Jewish immigrants who also hid their identities, why Jewish founders of Hollywood built an industry that then pressured Jewish performers to erase the same heritage, how the practice evolved over decades from absolute requirement to personal choice, which modern Jewish celebrities have reclaimed their birth names or refused to change them, and what the pattern of name-changing reveals about how Hollywood processed Jewish identity — welcoming the talent while erasing the ethnicity.
I do not ask that you agree with me. I am simply pointing out that there are other opinions as valid as yours. This does not mean I support Netanyahu, Trump, or their right-wing governments. In fact, I have never supported them and I detest them.
Additionally, I do not support genocide, ethnic cleansing, or apartheid in any form, anywhere. I just disagree with your characterizations and definitions, as well as the organizations you reference. My opinions are shaped by my own experiences, my education about history, and my sources for current events.
I completely disregard Hamas, the ten or so other terrorist organizations operating out of Gaza, and Qatar’s state-run news agency, Al Jazeera.
To paraphrase Fred Maroun, an Arab Canadian with the dream of a liberal Middle East, and peace between Arabs and Israel:
Why does a First Nation French Canadian support the State of Israel? I support the right of Jews to self-determination on their own land. However, my support extends beyond just that.
Israel embodies many values I have always championed:
- It is a true democracy in the Middle East.
- It promotes women leaders in the region.
- It upholds LGBT rights in the Middle East.
- It advocates for peace in the region.
- It defends human rights in the Middle East.
While other Middle Eastern countries are known for their great food or oil reserves, Israel contributes significantly more to the region. This achievement is the result of the Jewish people's hard work and sacrifices. These are the Jews who were ethnically cleansed from Islamic countries in the Middle East and beyond. These are the Jews who survived the Holocaust, a real genocide, in Europe. These are the Jews whose ancestors never left the Levant, and those whose roots, like mine on Turtle Island, trace back to being indigenous to their land.
This is why, for me, Zionism is synonymous with love. There is no better way to describe it.
Leeron Kopelman added something similar to this:
I just posted this in response to someone who pretended that the movements are mirror images of each other:
There is no parallel. One movement is a labor of love that attracts people who care. They may be Jews, have Jewish friends, support democracies, or feel a connection based on their religious beliefs.
Are there a few pro-Israel individuals who are, deep down, just anti-Arab or anti-Muslim? Yes, such people exist, but they are few and negligible.
The other movement is driven by hate.
The difference is evident in the rallies. One is typically peaceful and dignified, while the other is malevolent and violent.
https://youtube.com/shorts/hh-yDI48Fak?si=Q330-AX0aJDN--MT
https://youtu.be/o4WRnzPYtp4?si=VGmUt969RwxTth8a
https://www.facebook.com/share/p/18UWneWL9j/?mibextid=wwXIfr
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