Would I be welcomed if I visited a local synagogue? The quick answer is, “Generally, yes, you’ll be very welcome.” That being said, a little preparation will make all the difference.

I believe I’m seeing far more evil in the world than ever before in my lifetime. There’s a constant barrage of antisemitism, gun violence, racism and homophobia. And not only is there a lack of empathy, but there’s a gleeful viciousness about it from perpetrators. However, for this piece, I’m going to focus specifically on the evil I’m seeing in response to COVID.

This is the third and final installment in my crowd-sourced series where Jewish people share things we wish non-Jews understood. In the previous two articles in the series, we covered things like Chanukah, horns, antisemitism and the wide variety of belief within Judaism. In this article, we’ll get songs stuck in your head, make you are of the Jewish disdain for the phrase, “Judeo-Christian” and point out that Judaism is its own whole set of beliefs independent of other religions.

There’s a wide variety of beliefs and practices within Judaism. We don’t have horns. Antisemitism is constant, terrifying and exhausting.

I was asked to share something important about Judaism that non-Jews might not know. So many possible answers raced through my mind! I had a very difficult time narrowing it down. So I posed the question to Jewish friends of all branches and observance and I’ve compiled their results. I’m presenting their answers along with their names and notes about which branches of Judaism they identify with.

Asking someone who you know is suffering to “Keep me updated” is not only unhelpful, but makes life more difficult for the suffering person. You’re adding to their mental load. You’re not supporting them. You’re not helping. You’re actively making their life more difficult by adding one more thing they need to do in an already incredibly difficult time.