There are memories we choose to keep quiet, yet they define us and set us on our own path!

There are memories in your life that shape your life, but at the same time you keep quietly in your past.  You know, as you age, we say we have gotten past difficult times and learned our lessons and hope have moved on.  This is one of those days where you realize not all that is in the past has moved on.

There have been two incidents at the University of Georgia about Swastikas painted on walls in the dorms.  https://www.redandblack.com/uganews/uga-student-groups-condemn-swastikas-drawn-on-students-dorms/article_44e68002-0c7d-11ea-8e1a-3f65d9769be9.html?fbclid=IwAR0ZMDV58hRz08VpvPi2g4auhF5D-re-CKNy3mKvcaV-CjV0LYqXPeUf4lE

This is horrible, and certain anyone could see the hatred and wonder how in our modern day these kinds of incidents would happen.  Let’s be clear, someone or group has painted these swastikas in busy dorms where one would think there was at least one witness, but so far there have not been any witnesses to come out and share what they saw or participated in. 

You might say, what does this have to do with my past? But I do have a past to share here. 

It all starts at Mercer University when I turned 18. (That is thirty-seven years ago for those of you wondering or trying to do the math.).  I chose to go to Mercer for academics as well as a partial scholarship.  Mom, Dad and I were worried as it is a Baptist College, but they shared there were at least 10 % of the enrolment was Jewish.  I enrolled, and first it took me at least two weeks to find another Jewish person.  Don't remember her name, but she was Jewish but had not been to services and was not very much into her Jewish identity.  My roommate was a Junior, who was shocked that I didn't go to Church.  Then I decided to pledge a fraternity, and they scheduled rush over Rosh Hashanah.  Was sneaky, there were three days of rush and the last day was Rosh Hashanah.  So, what they did was sped up the Jewish guys, so they were at each house a shorter period of time than "everyone else".  They may as well have given us a badge or arm band that said we were Jewish.  I decided to leave Mercer, for this and other reasons and Transferred to the great University of Georgia

.

So, at the new year in 1983, I transferred to the University of Georgia.  Still remember, being on the tenth floor of Russell Hall.  I ended up with a roommate that was a good bit older again and was part of most of the hall that were part of a group of evangelists.  So, a nice young Jewish male ends up on a floor of evangelist who decide to make me their project for the remainder of the year.  Every chance they got they would come into my room to challenge me and ask me questions about Judaism and why I didn't believe in Jesus.  If I answered them, they got mad, but I tended to more often just leave my room and the floor and go somewhere else.  The more I avoided them the madder they got at me. 

Turned out even those that I thought were my friends, were being nice to me to find out more about me to feed those that were not being kind to me at all.  I remember there as an English major grad student who was the ringleader and was horrible.  The RA on the hall was also part of the same club, so I really didn't have anyone to support me on the hall.  Beyond being what would be called bullying today, they would do things like put shaving cream on the bottom of my shoes while I was napping or do anything they could that would get me mad, when I would not agree to listen or discuss my religious choices or heritage.

Once they realized I was a lost cause.  They kept being difficult, and this all ended with them carving a swastika into the door of my dorm room.  Was not huge but was noticeable and unforgettable.  Even worse, was the RA wanted to charge me for fixing the door at the end of the year.

They helped change my life for the better, in the fall I joined AEPi a Jewish Fraternity.  There I felt safe and felt socially accepted.  This ended up being one of the best choices of my college career as it also helped draw me out socially, so I was not so introverted.  But, most importantly it gave me somewhere a Jewish male could feel safe in an environment where I was not always welcome on campus.  

I share this today, one so people don't see the recent incidents as an isolated incidents of hatred and bullying of those different or in the minority has been happening probably since the beginning of time.   I share as a reminder that people don't just get over these moments in their lives, as these memories are quite strong even 38 years later.   I had been bullied in a Jewish elementary school, so these kinds of moments are not just anti-Jewish but are examples of why eradicating hatred and bullying at all ages is an important goal of a civilized society.