Preface: Everything that I express in this piece is an opinion, and if you would like to voice your support or opposition with what I am writing please email me at jbp2154@barnard.edu.
In our ever-polarizing world, the motto of the Industrial Workers of the World has become even more important: “An injury to one is an injury to all.” As the opposition continuously tries to divide minorities through false consciousness, we must stand together through all fights. Without a united front, we will never win, never make progress and never make the world a better place for all.
This issue came to my mind following the Pittsburgh synagogue shooting, specifically following the reaction of my fellow Jewish friends and family on Facebook. Almost immediately, many of my Facebook friends changed their photos to have #TogetherAgainstAntisemitism. At first it was exciting to see some people who I had previously viewed as complicit get involved with political movements. However, I soon became frustrated with this act. People who stood silent during Kavanaugh, police brutality and, especially, Palestinian deaths all of a sudden cared about politics and gun control. It felt like this was because people who shared their identities were the ones to get massacred by right-wing extremists. While the actual process of changing your Facebook photo’s watermark is not that influential, my point stands. People often only join the resistance when it affects their own community. This should not stand.
So, I urge those in the Jewish community to work in solidarity with other oppressed groups whenever they face violence or confrontation. How should we expect others to stand with us, if we do not do the same for them?
Next week, I will release an article specifically about solidarity in feminism, and why it is important to reject Trans-Exclusionary Radical Feminists.