Three young women, two Americans and a Serbian, were traveling through Thailand with my daughter.
They were staying at a backpacker hostel in a tourist area and joined a trivia night. Their team won, probably thanks to my daughter, whose nickname is basically “The Encyclopedia.”
But instead of applause, the atmosphere changed.
The girls had not checked in with Israeli passports. They were not speaking Hebrew. They were not wearing Israeli flags, Jewish symbols, or anything visibly identifying them as Israeli or Jewish.
Yet somehow, they were identified anyway.
Staff at the hostel began chanting “Free Palestine.” Someone drew a map on the wall. Suddenly, these young travelers were treated like villains, not because anyone knew who they were, but because they were perceived to be Jewish or Israeli.
Nobody cared what their political opinions were. Nobody asked where they lived, what causes they supported, whether they were left-wing, right-wing, peace activists, socially conscious, feminist, LGBTQ supportive, anti-government, or completely apolitical. None of it mattered.
They were simply reduced to an identity and turned into targets.
Some people eagerly joined the chants. Others stood silently on the sidelines, visibly uncomfortable, unsure what they actually believed, too afraid to speak, or too desperate to fit in.
And that may be the most frightening part of all.
History has taught us this lesson before.
In Germany, Jews could be decorated war veterans, doctors, intellectuals, donors to cultural institutions, loyal citizens, or the belle of the ball. Many believed their achievements, patriotism, social status, or progressive values would protect them. In the end, once society decided Jews were the problem, individual identity no longer mattered.
To the Nazis, being Jewish was the crime.
Today, people use different language. They call it anti-Zionism, anti-Israel activism, resistance, or political expression. But increasingly, Jews around the world are discovering that once you are identified as Jewish or Israeli, many people no longer see the human being standing in front of them.
Inside Israel, we have lived with this reality for years. Hamas and Hezbollah missiles do not distinguish between Druze, Bedouin, Arab Israelis, Jews, religious, secular, left-wing, right-wing, rich, poor, or peace activists. The hatred does not discriminate.
And outside Israel, many Jews are now experiencing something equally disturbing: living in Israel is treated by some as a crime, and simply being Jewish increasingly feels like one too.
What happened in that hostel in Thailand was not political debate. It was a warning about how quickly human beings can be reduced to labels, how easily crowds conform, and how dangerous it becomes when silence empowers the loudest voices in the room.
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