Tension with potential or perceived vulnerability creates a lack of opportunities for Jewish people to find community and connection, necessary during intense political moments. In New York and Washington D.C., over 8.5% of the population is Jewish, while in Washington state only 1.13% of the population identifies as Jewish. This staggering and sharp difference highlights a lack of representation, as smaller Jewish populations often result in fewer voices, and community visibility. President of the Jewish Student Union at IHS, junior Leah Colchamiro explained that, “In Washington, being Jewish you’re definitely a minority out here.”
Representation is important because it can shape public awareness and understanding. When a group is underrepresented, stereotypes and misinformation can go unchallenged, allowing bias and prejudice to grow. Limited representation can therefore connect to antisemitism, which unfortunately continues to affect Jewish communities today. According to the U.S. Department of State, “Antisemitism is a certain perception of Jews, which may be expressed as hatred toward Jews. Rhetorical and physical manifestations of antisemitism are directed toward Jewish or non-Jewish individuals and/or their property, toward Jewish community institutions and religious facilities”. Helly Harel, the advisor for the Jewish Student Union at IHS said, “History wise, it is the most ancient hate, it’s rooted thousands of years, and it had ups and downs, but [in general], the Jewish people [have] gone through a lot of persecution […] Just like any other hate, you feel very targeted and very lonely.” This shows that when Jewish communities lack representation, antisemitism is more likely to continue, as misunderstanding and a lack of visibility allows prejudice and bias to persist unchallenged.
When trying to find a community for religion, sexuality, race and other personal identifiers, it can be hard to find a community that you feel safe in. In WA there are a couple communities for members of the Jewish religion to feel safe. For example, Chahab of the Central Cascades is a formal synagogue that looks out for the community, and strengthens the bonds and connections between the people. Rabbi Zalman Matus shares his ideas of what it is like to be part of the community: “I’m clearly identifiable as a Jew because of my beard and dress so in a sense I am ‘practicing’ any moment I am outside. We have a synagogue, community centers, Jewish library, preschool and Sunday Hebrew School which Jews of all backgrounds are welcome to practice and engage Jewishly–which is a really fulfilling thing to be a part of. I definitely have a general sense of safety living in this area as people look out for each other, but Jews today are more aware of safety than they used to be—especially in public.”
More than now, Jewish people feel a sense of insecurity about sharing details of their religion and association with political conflicts. Rabbi Schneur Matusof adds that, “what’s even more unfortunate is the uninitiated who believe they are standing for a political cause, but don’t realize that they are dehumanizing and threatening a community in the process. Everyone has a right to form opinions, but if your opinion is causing hurt or fear among your peers of any community–please take the time to understand why that might be the case.” His comments highlight the importance of separating and distinguishing political ideologies from religion and culture.
The Issaquah Community is no stranger to antisemitism. In Jan. 2025 two incidents of antisemitism involving hate symbols and graffiti were reported by the police (Issaquah-Antisemitism). One happened on a trail wall and the other occurred in the Highlands, where a 22 year old male was found to be the culprit and nine months later, was arrested. When we interviewed the local Rabbi of the Chabad of the Central Cascades, Schneur Matusof, about whether he had ever experienced anti-semitism, he described to us two incidents saying “I’ve had to call police because the situation seemed truly threatening. (In neither case was I, or anyone with me hurt.) It’s unfortunately part of what I contend with as a very visible Jew, and there’s so much hurt, damage and misinformation out there”. Bringing up the history of anti-semitism is very important for the future generations so that we do not have repeats of the past and the tragedies that it caused.
Anti-semitism has also been a long-term legal issue with multiple supreme court cases like Ford v. Sapiro. In this case, Henry Ford was spreading lies and publishing articles called ‘The International Jew’. giving him praise from Adolf Hitler and other Nazi leaders for his antisemitism in these articles. According to the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum, they describe the context around Ford’s anti-semitism and the intense expression, and how, “In 1915, he chartered a ship to sail to Europe with a number of prominent peace activists. Ford hoped that the publicity around the ‘Peace Ship’ would lead warring nations to negotiate a peace treaty. The mission was a total failure. The press mocked Ford and called the mission a ‘Ship of Fools’”. Ford later blamed the Jewish people for starting World War I and standing in between peace efforts.
But how can people actually be more aware of the topic? Science teacher Deborah Robins explains that it is more about “learning about the different cultures and about the history of things without political bias, if possible. So, you must look at both sides and come to an understanding.” Now with the existence of social media, misinformation can spread quickly. Harel adds that, “there is a lot of misinformation spread around, that creates a lot of hate and targeting, specifically in the Jewish community. And there is one thing to be critical of. [It is] the basic right and need for democracy to be critical, but there is a lot of misunderstanding and misinformation about the history and the conflict.” But also, “there are a lot of shared communities there from history. Right now, I think the political sides are pushing everyone to be more one against another instead of pushing for conversation, and ‘let’s find a solution’, and ‘let’s try to leave you peace’.” But in reality, Jewish people often are judged by global opinion and treated with hate, even though they also are human beings who deserve respect.
Earlier this school year, Issaquah High School created a new club allowing students a community at school to connect with others about their beliefs and religion. As of 2025, five clubs out of 52 are based on creating a community for students of the same race or religion, making up less than 10 percent. According to their club description on IHS’s activities page, “Our purpose in JSU is to facilitate a safe, welcoming space where teens can learn about Jewish culture and history, connect with one another, have leadership opportunities, and engage in immersive programing. JSU welcomes and embraces all students.” Colchamiro claims the reason she started the student union was because, “… it can be really hard to not have a Jewish community, and I think it is really nice to be able to connect with people, especially at a school like this, where there are not a lot of Jewish people.” Waldbaum shared what he believes is the main strength of the Jewish community. “I would say the closeness and that jewish people really look out for each other which is really nice.” If you would like to learn more about the Jewish community in Washington, or the culture, come visit JSU at IHS on the 1st and 3rd Thursday of the month.
