A Jewish Journey of Identity and Courage

“But I don’t have any other ideas.” What strategies do you think could help put an end to the behavior David experienced? “Maybe we can think about something together,” Shelly offered. “We can do a quick role play.” Shelly volunteered Danielle and Tamar. Danielle was the girl making nasty comments against Israel, and Tamar was simply herself. “You are a murderer, just like all Zionists,” Danielle said while trying to hide her laugh to get in to character. “I wish you all would disappear from the world!” Tamar looked at Shelly and waited for further instructions. “How would you respond to that?” Shelly pressed, offering little guidance. “What would you say if someone said something like that to you?” Tamar glanced between Danielle and Shelly, clearly uncertain. “I don’t know. I would just walk away,” she finally said after a few moments of silence. “Okay, but let’s assume you can’t walk away. What if this person is sitting next to you in class or on the bus? What would you do then?” Tamar shrugged, still unsure. “Does anyone have any suggestions?” Shelly asked, looking around the group for ideas. Do you have any suggestions on how to handle a situation like this? We fell silent, each of us lost in our own thoughts. I tried to remember how I responded when Bethany made fun of me. Most

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