Upstanders: Standing Up Against Antisemitism
How Great To Be Featured In Authority Magazine For Speaking Up At This Critical Juncture
What is an Upstander, you ask?
An upstander is the opposite of a bystander. A bystander is someone who stands by while others are being bullied, maligned, or mistreated. An upstander is someone who stands up to protect and advocate for the victim. We are sadly seeing a surge of hate, both online and in the real world. Many vulnerable minorities feel threatened and under attack. What measures are individuals, communities, and organizations taking to stand up against Antisemitism, Racism, Bigotry, and Hate? Authority Magazine is talking to activists, community leaders, and individuals who are Upstanders against hate, to share what they are doing and to inspire others to do the same. Here is an excerpt of my interview.
Thank you so much for doing this with us! Before we dive in, our readers would love to get to know you a bit better. Can you tell us your “Origin Story”? Can you tell us the story of how you grew up?
I’ve been to the mountaintop and back on more than one occasion. My life has been about embracing my superpower of humor and optimism to survive the challenges of being second generation holocaust, coming out, addiction, health issues, loss of family members, and other unbelievable obstacles. But that all makes me stronger. That has all brought me to this place of self-love and gratitude. And with all that, I wouldn’t have changed one iota of what I’ve done in my life.
Share a personal story of how you experienced or encountered anti-Semitism, racism, bigotry, or hate, how that experience shaped your perception and actions moving forward.
Since childhood, I was on the receiving end of antisemitic angst in the neighborhood I grew up in. My parents after surviving the torturous years in concentration camps and Siberian work camps, they moved to a small blue-collar town with very few Jews. My parents sent me to a Yeshiva (parochial school), so I was bused to the next town. Getting off the bus dressed was when I sensed being ridiculed, which confirmed my belief in feeling “other”. Keep in mind my mother was very outspoken about what happened in Dacha during the war and in the subsequent DP Camps.
I started building that kind of shield of armor, knowing that this could also be my plight in life. This sharpened my senses and made me conscious and very aware of my surroundings, which most kids aren’t at that age.
When we moved on up out of that environment into a more affluent and religiously balanced, all these kids were focused on the Honda minibike and wearing cool sneakers, and somehow, I still felt “other”. Being a fat kid didn’t help matters much. The new town we moved to was so small that we didn’t have our own high school, so I was bussed to a predominantly black high school and continued the gift of feeling “other” I say gift because, in hindsight, it was a teaching tool that I now so clearly recognize. Being attacked for being a white kid seemed pointless, then aging so is all forms of hate. I know that since as far back as I can comprehend.
Besides, technically, I’m not white because Jews hail from the Middle East and Africa before we were vaporized. Try negotiating that conversation in a hallway between gym and Spanish class. I was once confronted with a group of guys and rather than cower, I puffed up my chest and pushed my way through which ultimately impressed the guys “Damn, that white boy’s got balls”. I attribute that to my parents and the DNA that is innate in my soul. That’s my heritage for you, baby.
Can you describe how you or your organization is helping to stand up against hate? What inspired you to take up this cause?
Two things: My parents did not survive the Holocaust for me to live in a country that remotely has the stench of fascism. Speaking up and if need be, fighting for freedom is the new MO.
The awesome community that I have cultivated on social media as grown over the past couple of years and we all stand first and foremost for democracy. Within that framework is my version of a fairness doctrine, where we can hear the other side of our position but a s soon as it gets aggressive or combative, it’s a nonstarter.
My nickname, at times, has been Brutally Honest Abe because I don’t mince words. I say what people think, and that is a gift that keeps on giving. These new several months are make or break in many ways for me and America. I will fight tooth and nail to keep Trump and the Christian Nationalists out of the White House. In fact, I’d rather move to Israel and fight for democracy there than stay here and let the cronies at the Heritage Foundation lay down laws that I should live by. Rules that are contrary to everything America stands for and I believe in. I don’t understand how many people blindly Night of the Living Dead-like Zombies are walking into another Trump administration that is being puppeteered by the most virulent far-right zealots. I guess, once you’ve been propagandized, like the MAGA cult, life doesn’t really matter anymore. They’ve turned their will and their life over to the care of NOT a God. That is the polar opposite of any spiritual teaching. Surely, these violent protesters we are seeing across American campuses and in the streets are lost and spiritually bankrupt, as is the s. Who wants to be anywhere near that mindset?
The majority of the awesome social media community I have connected with share my sentiments. I don’t like using the term “followers” because that’s what MAGA and the pro-Hamas zealots are. We, The People of the Won’t Be Silent community, have a mindset that we love this country because of our democratic freedoms. That is why the majority of the Americas also supports Israel. Not like the media would let lead you to believe that because they have proven time and time again over the past almost decade that they chase the salacious and leave the truth to flail in the background. Gone are the days of Huntley-Brinkley and Edward R. Morrow. Enter the bloviator class who spend copious amounts of hours regurgitating the copious unfortunate days’ events surrounding the ex-present and his daily legal mumbo jumbo. Won’t Be Silent hopes for a brighter future by focusing on what we can do today. Have you suggested someone to register to vote or asked a friend to see if their registration is still valid?
Can you tell us the most interesting story that happened to you since you began your work as an Upstander?
Won’t Be Silent is a creative effort to bring people together through music and storytelling in the hopes of a more peaceful solution. It started with a piece of music exhumed from the ashes of the Holocaust, which has gone through incarnation after incarnation, always with one message: Peace. It seems fleeting at times, days like today, in fact, but I stand firm in the idea that even if we must fight for peace out of necessity, so it shall be done. The current rhetoric against Israel feels biblical, as in a story of, yet again, the attempts to smite the Jewish people, and as history shows, we will rise and thrive.
Could you share an inspiring story that demonstrates the impact your efforts have had on an individual or community?
It can’t be one story. It’s the multitude of joys and positive energy that we have generated through the complicated times we are living in. I get countless emails and direct messages from people thanking me for my voice and from my point of view, not only regarding democracy. I’m a safe harbor for these folks, and that, to me, is rewarding and invaluable. I have been very measured in how I spoke about what happened on October 7th and the aftermath. Even people living in Israel who are emotionally traumatized by what has and is still happening have been reaching out to me, appreciative of some of my messages. I’m proud to be a part of these concerned citizens. I also know that we must deal very strictly with those who are violently running amuck, perpetuating misinformation, and enrolling innocent sheep in what could be a form of their own slaughter as they become ostracized from American society.
In your opinion, why do you think there has been such a surge of antisemitism, racism, bigotry, & hate recently?
Well, the obvious answer is self-explanatory: October 7. That’s the short answer. The truth is, I’ve been a party to antisemitism my whole life. Notice how I did say VICTIM? Because you are what claim and honey, I am a victim to no one…well…I take that back, I am to myself. We all are, but it’s important to admit our foibles. It’s how we move forward through them. One of my favorite expressions is, “Some quickly, some slowly.” Issues I have had to deal is on a different path than anyone else’s, and we can’t judge ourselves when things don’t happen fast enough or too slowly, which causes anxiety. Plus, we can’t allow how others judge us to affect us without learning to shed caring how people view us.
The unfortunate thing is how this rise in antisemitism will ultimately boomerang to other people of color and minorities. When you consider that Jews are the tiniest minority living on Earth and being on the receiving end of this level of animosity and threats, you do think that it will just naturally spoil over to others. I’m seeing it already. Rednecks are not that into this conflict one bit. As they burn American flags alongside Israeli flags, I can assure you this shit-kicking good old boys’ network is alive and well and will come back to haunt those acting like violent fools. It’s like that expression, “Careful what you wish for.”
What are your “5 Things Everyone Can Do to Be an Upstander”? If you can, please share a story or an example for each.
First things first looking you know take off your clothes and look in the mirror love that so that’s actually a really good feeling exercise I could do not also my weight OK take off your clothes and look in the mirror and what do you see and where do you see that needs improving so rather than what you can do for others what can you do about yourself to make you a kinder person right that’s number one number two call someone you have a foot forward you might not get a response as a matter but it’s the action what action are you taking see if there is a group that you can at least sign up for to get emails just to kind of know what’s out there um make a post about just saying I don’t know anything about anything to be honest that nobody knows anything nobody knows anything words I live by and you know and pet your dog.
How do you handle the emotional toll that comes with being an Upstander?
Emotional toll? Nah. It’s my badge of honor. I love thinking that I’m an Upstander. It’s delicious. I’ll be this till I die. It’s even in the subtitle of my book. It’s how I matter.
If you were in charge of the major social media companies, what would you do to address the hate on the platforms? Could you share specific strategies or policies that you believe would be effective in addressing hate on social media platforms?
I would build a list of search words that just need to be filtered out of the system. The same way we have SEO.
-Try to make it a little bit more of a friendlier environment.
-I would minimize advertising.
-I would not allow paid sponsorships.
-Minimize influencers or raise the bar. So not every douche thinks they’re a superstar.
-Keep it a touch more innocent, somehow.
Whatever happened to the community swimming pools, have they become dangerous too? We’ve been through worse times, namely the ’60s and ‘70’s. We had the women’s movement game movement civil rights it’s like Nixon it was everywhere for the world it’s not going to stop
How would you answer someone who says: “Hate speech is permitted under the US Constitution. Why are you so worried about permitted and legal speech?
I am very clear on the 1st amendment needs an amendment it does need an amendment good morning period end of story you cannot tell me that violently marching with your face covered whether it’s KKK or pro-Palestine or whatever have you or any of those kids or those boys who walk around you know the what do they call the patriot queers in any of the patriot I call in the call them the proud Marys the proud boys are the problem yeah but the point is it’s there you know it’s so far it’s like restricted to saying fire in a theater or getting on a plane and saying have a bomb no it’s your face is covered that’s automatically Browns for breaking the 1st amendment law.
In what ways can education be leveraged to combat antisemitism, racism, bigotry, and hate?
Not sure it can. Effective socialization, maybe. Group dynamics, activities, sports, mandatory music, perhaps.
Can you please give us your favorite “Life Lesson Quote”? Can you share how that was relevant to you in your life?
It’s in my book: 1) Life is choice. 2) That which doesn’t kill you makes you stronger. Life begins and ends with those pearls of wisdom. You’re welcome.
Is there a person in the world, or in the US with whom you would like to have a private breakfast or lunch with, and why? He or she might just see this, especially if we tag them. :-)
BABS!!!!
IN OTHER NEWS…Stephen Fry said what about “Won’t Be Silent - Don’t Stop ‘til It Matters”??? Order your copy today!