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#  What It Feels Like to Grow Up Jewish in America Today

June 25 2026

Written by Shoshannah Kalaydjian.

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A STUDENT'S VIEW - I grew up believing America was different.

I was taught that people of different faiths, backgrounds, and political beliefs could disagree while still treating one another with dignity and respect. I believed that no child would ever be judged or excluded simply because they were Jewish.

Lately, that belief has become harder to hold.

Last year, a Jewish father and his five-year-old son were allegedly forced to leave an Oakland café because they were wearing baseball caps featuring the Star of David. The U.S. Department of Justice has since filed a civil rights lawsuit, alleging they were denied service because they are Jewish.

More recently, Congressman Dan Goldman and his seven-year-old daughter visited a coffee shop in Brooklyn. After learning they had been there, the owner publicly announced that he was refunding their purchase and banning them from returning, calling them “genocide enablers.”

In Los Angeles, social media activists have publicly targeted cafés owned by Israelis, encouraging customers to avoid them and drawing attention to the owners’ nationality as though it were evidence of wrongdoing.

These are not just headlines.

For many young Jewish Americans, they raise a troubling question: Are we beginning to see discrimination become acceptable again?

A coffee shop is supposed to be one of the simplest places in society. It is where people meet friends, study for exams, read a book, or spend time with family. It should never become a place where someone wonders whether they will be welcomed because of their religion or identity.

As Jewish students, we learn about the Holocaust from an early age. In school and at home, I learned about the experiences of Jews in Germany during the 1930s. One lesson has always stayed with me: long before the Holocaust, Jewish families were gradually excluded from everyday life. Cafés, restaurants, hotels, shops, and public spaces became places where they were no longer welcome. The goal was not simply to inconvenience them. It was to isolate them, humiliate them, and convince them they did not belong.

History does not repeat itself in the same way, but it often begins with familiar warning signs. Antisemitism rarely starts with violence. It starts with exclusion, intimidation, and the normalization of discrimination.

No responsible person is claiming that America today is Nazi Germany. The historical differences are profound, and they matter. But history is valuable precisely because it teaches us to recognize dangerous patterns before they become accepted as normal.

When Jewish families are excluded from businesses because they are Jewish, every American should be concerned—not only Jews. Freedom of religion and equal treatment under the law are foundational American principles. Once discrimination against one group becomes acceptable, the rights of every group become more vulnerable.

The Department of Justice deserves credit for taking action in Oakland and for investigating allegations of anti-Jewish discrimination elsewhere. Civil rights laws exist to protect every American equally, regardless of religion, ethnicity, or political beliefs.

But laws alone cannot preserve the character of a nation.

That responsibility belongs to all of us.

My generation has grown up hearing the words “Never Again.” For many people, those words refer to the Holocaust. To me, they also represent a commitment to recognize the earliest warning signs of hatred before they become accepted as ordinary.

No child should ever have to wonder whether wearing a Star of David will make them unwelcome.

No family should fear being denied service because they are Jewish.

No American should be excluded from a public business because of their religion, ethnicity, or identity.

I do not want special treatment because I am Jewish.

I simply want what every American deserves: the freedom to walk into a coffee shop, a classroom, or any public place knowing that I will be judged by my character—not by my faith.

America has always aspired to be a nation where every person is treated with equal dignity under the law. That promise belongs to all of us.

Because the moment any group is told, “You are not welcome here,” America becomes a little less like the country it strives to be.

My generation cannot afford to ignore those words.

History has already shown us where they can lead.

*(**Shoshannah Kalaydjian** is a young Jewish student who writes about education, identity, and the challenges facing the next generation. Growing up in today’s climate, she has witnessed firsthand how rising antisemitism affects young people in classrooms and on college campuses. She is committed to sharing the perspectives of Jewish youth, amplifying student voices, and encouraging leaders to create safer, more inclusive environments for all students.)*

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