I know you’re scared, but you’re not alone | Angy Shavit, Israel/USA

When Bibi won the last elections, I was expecting it. I had spent the day at the voting booth rallying people up for my party. I had spent countless hours, a ridiculous amount of Advil’s, and most definitely lost a significant amount of hair leading up to those elections. I was spat on, yelled at, and never thought I could lose so many friends and family members. But when Bibi won, I was expecting it. I knew he would win, and I knew it wouldn’t last very long until the next elections came around. I was used to a bigot, to a selfish racist man running my state. I was used to hearing him talk badly about minorities, I was never shocked at the crap that came out of his mouth, and I knew that a majority of the people agreed with me and disapproved of his bigotry. Never did I think something like this could happen in America, and never did I think that there were so many people who could agree with him. Was I wrong? Was he really that great that so many people voted for him? Maybe I was alone, maybe I was the only one who thought he was so terrible.

Last night I tried to sleep. I cried for hours, I heard my alarm go off at 6:30 am. It didn’t wake me, I stared at my ceiling all night. I woke up, cried as I brushed my teeth, cried as I packed my lunch, cried as I got in my car. Then I asked myself, why am I crying? Why am I avoiding Facebook? Why aren’t I able to answer my phone? I’m a white Jew, living in New York. I am a US citizen, a hardworking, well off American. But I am scared. I am scared for the Mexican I saw standing outside this morning as I was on my way to my great job, the job I have because I am educated, and because I speak English. I am scared for every Muslim living in this country. From my little brother’s friend ‘H’ at school, to the Muslims I work with. I am scared for every African American who gets pulled over, for every African American who walks down the street at the wrong time. I am scared because Donald Trump (I refuse to call him President), has made it legitimate for us to hate one another. He has made it OK to think that all Muslims are this, and all Mexicans are that. He has made it OK for men to sexually assault women, for men to say what they want and think it’s OK! He has made it OK for us to mimic people with disabilities. I am scared for the LGBT community that Trump has threatened, I am scared for the women who have felt threatened by him that need to see him as their leader, I am so scared.

Trump has won for one simple reason, the enemy of my enemy is my friend. He has made minorities into the average Americans enemy. And just like we saw in Israel, when you give the people a common enemy and you give them the solution to this common enemy, hate wins.

But hate only wins in politics. Hate does not trump over my heart, hate does not win on the street, and hate will not run my country. So today I am scared, not for myself, but for all those around me. Today and always, I promise to stand for the values I have had, to stand against anyone who incites hate. For the Latinos, Muslims, Women, LGBT community, disabled, prisoners of war, and anyone else he may have offended. I am with you and I promise to always be. Because today I am scared, but I know I’m not alone and neither are you.