I never spent much time in the trendy, “hip” spaces around Los Angeles, and lately I’ve been particularly avoidant, as they no longer feel like neutral ground or safe places. So I was hesitant to go to a friend’s gathering at Soho House Malibu this weekend. I went in already on edge, with a vague, slightly irrational feeling I couldn’t quite explain. We were having a nice enough time when a woman began yelling at the top of her lungs, “I’m not leaving. I’m not moving from here. Yes, I’m a Jew, and I don’t care what he says. I’m not moving.” I felt the blood drain from my body. I began to realize only I understood the screams. She was yelling in Hebrew. My nightmare had materialized, maybe fifty feet away.

I was caught off guard. Not to hear Hebrew, but to hear Hebrew like that. To hear those words. Even with my concerns before going, I didn’t actually expect anything to happen. I got up from my seat and moved........

© The Times of Israel (Blogs)