Natalie Sanandaji, a 28-year-old Long Island native and resident, survived the Nova music festival massacre in southern Israel on October 7th. Her traumatic experience that day led her to transform her life and career, and she now works as a public affairs officer for the Combat Antisemitism Movement (CAM).
The following is a reflection she wrote after personally witnessing antisemitic graffiti during a trip to Barcelona, Spain, last week:
Before I survived the Nova music festival massacre on October 7th, my previous brushes with antisemitism were largely limited to being on the wrong end of “Jew jokes,” which I tried not to take too seriously so I wouldn’t be accused of “oversensitivity.”
However, over the past two months, hatred targeting Jews worldwide has become much more aggressive, and I can no longer remain silent when facing such blatant bigotry.
New manifestations of antisemitism that have emerged since October 7th have included the tearing down of Israeli hostage posters, calls for genocide of Jews on social media and college campuses, and hateful street graffiti in cities across the globe.
In one of my media appearances shortly after my return to the U.S., I said that I still felt safer in Israel than in New York, my lifelong home. Subsequent interviewers have latched onto this point, seemingly unable to grasp how I could feel this way, given everything going on in Israel.
What they and others apparently fail to comprehend is the severity of the recent surge of antisemitic incidents, both in the U.S. and around the world, and how badly it has undermined my sense of personal security.
New York is home to the largest Diaspora Jewish community, and I never realized how privileged I was growing up to be able to show my Jewish identity without fear until this was suddenly taken away from me in the new post-October 7th reality.
Unfortunately, getting out of New York also doesn’t help. I traveled to Europe last week for work, and while walking around Barcelona, Spain, I saw countless examples of graffiti inciting hatred of Israel and the Jewish people – including “Zionism kills,” “Boycott Israel,” and “Stop Israeli war crimes,” among others.
Seeing this venomous rhetoric displayed so openly and proudly added salt to the emotional wounds I suffered on October 7th, and it made me realize how misinformed most people are about the situation in Israel.
This has only reaffirmed my belief in how vital the work of the Combat Antisemitism Movement (CAM) is in this day and age, and I’m grateful to be able to do my small part in the collective effort to fight Jew-hatred in all its contemporary forms.
Editor’s note: Earlier this week, CAM CEO Sacha Roytman wrote a letter to Barcelona Mayor Jaume Collboni, urging him to take “swift action” to remove the antisemitic graffiti.
The letter can be read in full HERE.
