“How wonderful it is that nobody need wait a single moment before starting to improve the world.” (– Attributed to Anne Frank)
Today we commemorate the national Days of Remembrance, established by the US Congress as the nation’s annual recognition of the Holocaust. Tell us why you #remember: https://t.co/nN52qLgiu0
— US Holocaust Museum (@HolocaustMuseum) May 2, 2019
.@HRC joins the international community to honor the six million Jews who were murdered and millions of others who were victimized, including members of the LGBTQ community, under Nazi Germany before and during World War II. #HolocaustRemembranceDayhttps://t.co/9XHQl1Gi1B
One thing important to remember is that there are fewer Jews in the world than in 1939. The Holocaust radically changed the Jewish world affects Jewish communities worldwide deeply to this day. On this #YomHaShoah, we remember those lost.
If you're not a Jew you can't even really comprehend how much of our time culturally and religiously is spent remembering and discussing all the times over the course of thousands of years people have tried to kill us.
In 2019 in the United States of America, the Jewish community still experiences life-threatening anti-Semitism:
There is a Passover song, “Zog, Maran”, which is structured as a conversation between an Ashkenazi Jew and a Sephardi Jew celebrating under the fear of persecution and murder. It ends:
We are shocked and alarmed at the second deadly attack on an American synagogue in six months, this time at Congregation Chabad in #Poway, on the last day of Passover. It must serve as another wake-up call that antisemitism is a growing and deadly menace. https://t.co/NXsREnPriwpic.twitter.com/NsyE2WpnFv
If the Jewish and Muslim communities can support one another, then others can–and must–also learn to de-escalate.
Thinking about how moved I was when so many Muslims stepped up to help their Jewish neighbours after the Tree of Life synagogue shooting in Pittsburgh last fall. Hoping to see lots of similar acts of solidarity after the horror in #christchurch.
I know I speak for many when I write that Muslims appreciated the outpouring of love, prayers and support from our Jewish brothers and sisters after the New Zealand mosque shooting. Let us know what our communities can do to help after this latest #Poway synagogue shooting.
Phobias are irrational or excessive fears. If a phobia interferes with someone’s everyday life, it may be anywhere from annoying to debilitating. Other phobias will only come up once every so often, so they are less intrusive.
If a phobia interferes with an everyday or essential activity–such as dental work, flying, or animals–a person might choose to get treatment in order to overcome it. Phobias can be treated by exposure treatment, an intervention in which the person is exposed to tolerable aspects of the phobia in a safe environment until their anxiety diminishes.
First, the treatment focuses on exposure to the least anxiety provoking aspects of the phobia, as determined by the patient in a “hierarchy of fear.” The accompanying anxiety is addressed until it diminishes to tolerable levels, however long that takes.
Then, and only then, does the exposure move to increasingly more anxiety provoking aspects of the phobia. This may take days, weeks, or even months, depending on the nature of the phobia and the person’s level of anxiety.
An example of a phobia hierarchy based on items generated by clients working in exposure treatment:
Just thinking about exposure treatment may be anxiety provoking enough to count as exposure!
As a certain little pink dog has taught us, it takes courage to face your fears. Being courageous doesn’t mean not being afraid, it means taking action, even if it feels scary to begin.