Can you tell me about Hanukkah like the traditions and what you typically do in your family to celebrate Hanukkah?

Traditionally, the story most people know is that our temple got invaded and then we only had enough oil to keep the candle burning for one day, but the flame still flickered for eight nights, which is a bit far from the truth, but it is the story that everyone knows. For my family, we light the hanukkiah together every night. Most people think we light the menorah but the correct name is actually the hanukkiah. We do gifts most nights; some nights we donate money to causes that we're really interested in and that are important to us. For us, it's mostly just having light in our life. It's really dark right now in Maine and lighting the candles just kind of symbolizes--for my family at least--finding the light within the darkness. So, every night, we'll go around and ask each other "What has been one thing that lights up your day like what's something you're happy about that day?"

I think my favorite part about Hanukkah is definitely just spending time with my family. It's a little bit different this year because of the pandemic obviously but, usually, we have family gatherings where all my extended family from Massachusetts come up. There are like 20 to 30 people there and it is great to catch up with people you haven't seen in a while. I think that's probably my favorite part--just being surrounded by everyone who's so happy.

What are some ways that we have grown to be a more accepting environment for the Jewish community? What are some ways in which we are still lacking?

I definitely live in a bubble, so Maine feels very accepting to Jews. Most of my friends know who Jewish people are and have met Jewish people. The media definitely has focused a little bit more attention on Jewish people. So in those ways. I guess a lot more people are educated on Judaism. However, there are still a lot of ways in which we are still lacking. This again ties back into the media on how it is not really putting out correct narratives on what matters to us--Jewish people. Oftentimes, mass media is oversimplifying who we are. In any group, individuals are not the same. We all have different ideas and different beliefs; there are many branches and 1000s of different ways to be a Jew. I think people just don't realize that. Then there is obviously antisemitism which is exemplified within the media. Within politics, there is also a divide as well: the left side of politics doesn't really like Jews and the right side of politics doesn't really like Jews, so it's difficult as a Jew to figure out where you fit in.

Have your academic accomplishments been perceived in a different way because of your race?

Well, I do think there's like this whole thing of being a diversity pack and being that one person that is always being contacted because you fit a demographic or a certain narrative. In some ways, I think that does benefit me but because I'm always getting these opportunities but I do think that some might perceive it as "oh she's getting these opportunities because she fits a particular mold." I just don't want these factors to discredit my actual accomplishments.

Can you talk about some of the pre-existing stereotypes/narratives imposed on the Jewish community? How does it affect the community as a whole?

I think there's definitely a lot of narratives that I can't cover, but I will talk a bit about some of the main ones. I think a lot of people are antisemitic because they think that Jews are greedy, power-hungry, that they control banks/the government and they're going to join together and overthrow everything. I mean we're 2% of the United States, I just don't understand where this narrative comes from, but this has been going back years and years. When Jews were put into concentration camps, this was also part of the narrative, so I don't think that's really changed a lot. Then, with newer narratives--new as in since Israel was created--the Israeli-Palestinian conflict is just a really hard topic for a lot of Jews because people equate Judaism and being Jewish with being Israeli. I'm not Israeli; I mean 1000s and 1000s of years ago, yes, my ancestors came from Israel, but I don't identify as Israeli. It is a touchy subject because even if you are Israeli, that doesn't mean you 100% agree with the Israeli government. So, I think it's really important to see that being Jewish does not mean that you have to support this Israeli government, and even if you do, that doesn't necessarily mean you're on the wrong side.

During this year's celebration of Hanukkah, there has been a surge of antisemitism acts around the world and locally as well. What is your thought process on these events as a Jewish person?

I always feel like the acceptance of the Jewish community has come so far within society, but then I also see what has happened over this Hanukkah where there have been violent acts of antisemitism every single night and during the Capitol riots with the blatant antisemitism and I just realize that we still have a long way to go. As I was saying earlier, I live in a bubble so yes we are accepting here in my community but all over the world, there are still people who continue to have hatred for the Jewish community. In my experience, I've only experienced a few different facets of antisemitism directly pointed towards me, but it's definitely a little bit scary to hear everything that has been happening around the United States, especially, because I feel so connected to other Jewish people because there's so few of us. Still, if I ever want to go somewhere else in the United States, I make sure that I always keep my Jewish star necklace tucked into my shirt, not because I don't feel proud to be Jewish, but I recognize that some people don't like Jewish people, so I still have to be careful.

From your perspective, does the media do a good job of fostering awareness on these antisemitic issues or is it still lacking in raising awareness?

I think we're definitely doing a better job within the media with respect to showing these acts of antisemitism and showing support, but then a lot of the time, it's brushed over by the fact that people still say that Jews deserved it because they associate Jewish people with people who are in support of the Israeli government.

During times when I'm celebrating Hanukkah with my family, I hear about these anti-semitic attacks and it is really sad to see the Jewish community being attacked in this manner. I have heard people responding, "Oh, well, you should talk to Benjamin Netanyahu and get him to stop bombing the Palestinians", and I'm not going to get into that issue because now it's just so wrong; I don't really support the Israeli government, but also one Jew in the U.S. has hardly any power of him. However, when you hear comments like these, it's just hard to separate happiness and celebrating with your family from antisemitism within the media and from direct hatred for Jews based on different issues that weren't even at the start of the conversation.

However, I definitely think that social media has been a big help. Just with everyone's awareness of different communities that are struggling right now, and, during a pandemic, people have more time. I think people are much more aware of what's going on, and educating themselves on how they can be better allies. I think that has been a really unexpected and amazing outcome because of the quarantine.

I think in a perfect world where we don't have the pandemic and people are getting out more. It would honestly be a lot better because social media does attract Gen Z and the millennials, and even some Gen X, but that's not enough. Because Gen Z and millennials in these newer generations are the most diverse and these generations tend to be a bit more accepting. Spreading information through news sources has been great in those terms because people are being educated but then you have all the people who don't have social media, and I don't want to generalize because this isn't true all the time but when you don't have social media, you're not getting as much information and different types of information as people on social media. For example, you might be a person who watches TV every night but you only watch Fox News, or you only watch another news source, so you're not diversifying your media and you're just not getting as much information as you would be if you're broadening your news sources through social media. So I think that's probably a really big problem because people aren't exposed to who Jews actually are and who other communities actually are.

There are definitely pros and cons of social media. People are definitely much more willing to express their opinions on social media and some things that are said don't necessarily need to be said. At times, it's honestly kind of disturbing to look through social media and see some of the beliefs that people have about a community without actually getting to know any of the people in that community, so I think the rise and use of social media have definitely increased the online presence of anti-semitic groups and hate groups in general, which is unfortunate.

Do you think issues of antisemitism have been normalized?

I do think antisemitism has been very normalized, which is kind of scary because I felt like I grew up in a way where if I saw something that was anti-semitic, I didn't even realize it was anti-semitic because I just thought it was normal. I think it's going to be really hard to change that. People have normalized antisemitism as being anti-Israeli or anti-Israeli government, and these issues might overlap a little bit but antisemitism should not be more prevalent because of the dislike towards the Israeli government. The two groups aren't the same thing and it's really disheartening to see that people are normalizing antisemitism on that basis.

How can we, as a society, move away from antisemitism?

I think that education is the biggest way to do this. Becoming an ally towards other groups is a great first step. Education is hard and you have to make sure that you're finding the right sources to educate yourself. I mean, this could be talking to Jewish people but also remembering that all Jewish people have different opinions, beliefs, and different methods to worship. Make sure that you're finding correct news sources and talking to lots of different people who are Jewish, not just like one person. There is also the step of calling out people when you see antisemitism like if you see it online then report it. There's a lot of people in politics right now who are idolized, and they're great politicians in different senses except that they're mildly anti-semitic and we shouldn't respond by canceling them because cancel culture is very toxic but instead holding them accountable.

How can non-Jews become better allies if they live in a homogeneous community without exposure to Jewish people?

It's definitely very true that there's a ton of people who don't know any Jewish people because there are so few of us, so I don't know exactly what tips to give you because I don't want to be directing people in the wrong way. However, you can always start by educating yourself on different aspects of Judaism so whether that be the religious aspects, the different branches like conservative, orthodox, reform, humanistic, reconstructionist, etc, or our different major holidays. For example, many people believe that Hanukkah is really important to the Jewish community and although it is, the celebration of Hannukkah is minor compared to our other religious holidays. People believe it is important because it's so close to Christmas, making it become a Jewish Christmas, which is not representative of the holiday at all. Once again, everything ties back to taking baby steps to educate yourself. It doesn't matter where your kicking point is, just try.

What are your tips for people who want to be more in touch with Judaism, especially if they come from a family who is not religious?

It's definitely been really amazing and cool to see some of our friends get more in touch with their beliefs in Judaism and I'm so proud of them. Even if you just want to learn more about Jewish culture or you come from an interfaith family, contact your Jewish friends or in general people you know who are Jewish. I know this person contacted me and asked if they could come to some of my temple’s events. Finding a community is really important, and whether it is going to services like a temple or reaching out to different people who can support you on your path in order to make you feel more connected to Judaism or if you're trying to learn in general. I think outreach is a good first step.

What are your hopes for the future of the Jewish community?

What I hope for the Jewish community is simply just acceptance and knowledge. Jews aren't perfect either like you can definitely see that through many examples but I really do hope people learn to accept us as just people. There are a lot of things and events within history that can be twisted to paint people within a certain group or a certain religion in a bad light; we have seen it with Judaism and other religions, such as Christianity. I feel like people just need to realize that whatever religion whatever minority group you belong to, your differences make you special. We should accept people for their differences, not despite their differences. I hope for people to learn more about Judaism and the different aspects of it. A lot of us come from different backgrounds and that is okay. In all honestly, I just want to be considered normal and I think that many Jews and people belonging to different groups have the same desires as well. I don't need to be anyone special; I just want to be accepted.

You can reach out to Jonna on Instagram @jonna_rosenthal