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Writer's pictureThe SHVILLI Center

When Jews Are Gaslit

Updated: Dec 12, 2023


Letter of Truth Exercise- When Jews Are Gaslit

One of the most shocking and mind-bending aspects of the rise of antisemitism in the last few months is the way that many factions in the world are gaslighting the Jews.


There are people, movements, and organizations that are denying basic things that are irrefutable:


All that has happened to Jewish people; in our current moment in time or history. Events and experiences with endless amounts of evidence, whether archeological or filmed on a GoPro by the perpetrators.


There has been a distortion of basic moral truths.


Denial of feelings and experiences.


Claims turn reality upside down and inside out.:


Innocents are infidels.


Reality is false.


Narratives are twisted.


Good is evil,


And evil is justice,


Dead Jews are proportionate,


For the crime of existing.


Watching reality be denied on TV, social media, news, or in everyday conversation- - is maddening. The world feels like it's always tilting on its axis and we watch in horror as these voices get louder and louder.


It is vitally important in these moments that we center ourselves in our own sense of reality.


In a post-Covid world, reconnecting with a sense of community is more essential than ever. Being around or talking to other people who are experiencing the world as you know it can be a grounding experience.


But we can begin the work with ourselves.


 


This exercise can be done in conversation with someone you trust or written in a letter to yourself or someone else.


Letter of Truth:


Write a letter (or have a conversation) focusing on these grounding points:


  • Identify what you know to be true, no matter what other narratives you are having projected upon you by outside forces.

  • Express how you feel about having to engage with information that is distorted in order to manipulate, deceive, and encourage antisemitism and Jew hatred.

  • Acknowledge and affirm your own value and the value of your people. What do we stand for and contribute to the world? What are our values and ideals?

  • Reconnect with your identity - how are you feeling connected to our history and what do you hope for our future?

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