- There was this boy in my class
when I was in fifth grade
who would walk into class and do the Nazi salute.
He eventually got the rest of the class
to follow his lead
and they would start the mornings like so.
I told the teacher
that it made me upset, as I was Jewish.
She laughed and told me
she'd take care of it, she didn't.
(soft music)
- [Narrator] Dealing with prejudice has long been a part
of the Jewish experience.
And with acts of antisemitism on the rise,
we partnered with YouTube Originals
and the SpringHill Company
on our Recipe For Change series,
a one hour special featuring three dinner conversations
about important social issues
and how we can engender positive change.
But we also wanted to hear from you.
So we collected anonymously, submitted secrets
from Jewish people about their experiences
and we invited other Jewish people
to read about these secrets.
In doing so, we strive to create empathy and understanding
toward the challenges that Jewish people face every day.
(paper clacks)
- When my mom was a kid in the south
she used to get spit on for being Jewish.
So when she had kids,
she made the decision to not raise us
in the Jewish culture for our safety.
- Can I say this word?
My boyfriend called me a (beep) to his friend
and he thought it was okay
because his friend was Jewish too.
This was the first time I have ever been called that.
When I was in high school
my seat partner was drawing swastikas
on his lunchbox.
And I asked him to stop.
And our other seat partner was Jewish.
And he was like, "Oh my grandma's a Holocaust survivor.
She'll be fine with it.
I'm fine with it, whatever."
And that was kind of the first time
I encountered internalized Semitism.
To be called that by someone you're so close to
is really harmful.
I don't think I could come back from something like that.
- When I was at a friend's house, when I was eight
my friend's dad came in
and poured holy water on my head
and said, "Devil, be gone."
It was one of many experiences I had as a kid
that broke down my naive ideal view of the world.
I mean, I know it's your friend's dad,
but I don't know how friendly that sounds.
I would say talk to your friend.
This is a direct situation
where if that's a true friend of yours,
you could be like, "Hey man, you need to talk to your dad."
Much like, I think we've all been talking to our parents
over the last couple years
and kind of trying to reteach them some concepts.
That's crazy, when he was eight years old,
that's completely awful.
- There was this boy in my class
when I was in fifth grade
who would walk into class
and do the Nazi salute.
He eventually got the rest of the class
to follow his lead
and they would start the mornings like so.
I told the teacher that it made me upset
as I was Jewish.
She laughed and told me
she'd take care of it, she didn't.
Around that time, I guess, when I was in first grade too
I had a librarian read a story to the class
about The Christmas story
but then she told the whole class
that Jews were responsible for killing Jesus.
And so then I had a classroom full of first graders
yelling at me, calling me, "Christ killer."
And I came home crying to my mom
that I didn't wanna be Jewish anymore,
at the age of seven.
(paper clacks)
- My safta is the only one in my family
who is practicing.
And I am worried that if I am ever out as trans to her
she would not except me.
Wow, that hits close.
I am transgender.
And my safta, she passed away.
Though, I think she would've (sighs)
I don't know if she would've accepted me.
And I have grandparents that accept me
and for you to go through this, I'm sorry.
My own father doesn't accept me for being transgender.
And that's really hard.
(paper clacks)
- Too many people feel way too comfortable
making casual Holocaust jokes right to my face.
It's hard that we've completely normalized
making Holocaust jokes, antisemitic jokes.
And I've heard it all before
played off as, "I was just kidding.
People do it all the time.
Jewish comedians do it."
But in reality, it hurts a lot,
especially when you start to internalize it.
And the minute we start
to kind of get desensitized to it
is when we allow people
to just kind of walk all over us.
- I don't want to have kids
but knowing that I exist
because my ancestors survived
1000s of years of persecution,
because my grandparents survived the Holocaust,
means that I will have kids.
That's an enormous amount of pressure
for anyone to carry around
but to carry around the weight
of all of that generational trauma
and have it bleed into
how your family looks and what you want for your family,
that's a lot.
- I am a black convert to Judaism.
Last Halloween, a white kid around my age
was dressed up as a stereotypical
and quite offensive Jewish caricature.
I told him I was Jewish.
And he said, and quote, "You can't be a Jew,
you're a (beep)."
I never told anyone.
I'm half black and Jewish.
And I've received the same exact type of hate.
- I was in the synagogue during the Poway shooting.
Thank God I wasn't personally wounded
but I did witness death and tragedy that fateful day.
I found myself repeating,
"I'd rather die firm in faith
than live in fear without meaning."
This was the Chabad of Poway.
I know the rabbi.
I know so many of his congregants.
It hit home.
When you die firm in faith
it means your whole life,
you lived with a purpose.
You lived being proud of who you are.
- Sometimes I even get uncomfortable
when I see other people with Stars of David,
because I fear for them.
I fear, "Is this person going to experience
some kind of interaction
that's unwelcomed or mean or cruel
for simply being who they are?"
- This is real.
This is real.
Be strong, be firm, be happy.