Mistress Lynn

Dramione fanfiction writer and artist. Proud Zionist: Two states for two peoples. I'm not leaving, and neither are the Jews.

[mistresslynndramione]

Lynn’s FAQ’s

Update: July 10, 2025

Bookbinding/Translations/Podfics: 

I’m fine with all non-profit endeavors. 

And there is a podfic of From Wiltshire, With Love up on spotify by the amazingly talented AutumnFoxWrites! Somehow she manages to do different voices/accents for all the characters and keep it up throughout the story.

https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/autumn-fox2

Where is the title of From Wiltshire, With Love from? 

It’s a play on words from the James Bond spy movie, From Russia, With Love. Malfoy Manor is located in Wiltshire. So... spy, Wiltshire, love... get it???

Do you have any recs? 

Absolutely! My tumblr is chock full of recommendations and mini-reviews of underrated writers and their stories. Feel free to peruse. The Dramione subreddit also has the What Are You Reading? thread, Self-rec Sunday, the WIP Wednesday thread and the Underrated Fanfic Friday thread which are goldmines.

Where do I post? 

Archive of Our Own and Fanfiction.net, although lately I haven’t posted on ff.net. All of my works are posted on AO3, only some on ff.net. I have a soft spot for ff. net because after coming back to fandom after a 10 year hiatus, that was the only site left standing, and I’d posted my works on about 6 different sites.

 I posted FWWL on Wattpad, I don’t know if I’ll post anything else there. Probably not. The interface is too annoying.

What are you working on now? 

Butterfly is my main project for 2025-2026. I’m hoping to finish my crap draft this summer and to begin the serious alphabeta process and posting with my partners in crime in the fall. 

I may or may not post that third epilogue to Blackmailed. I’d like to continue Draco’s Body, for another chapter. I’ve got some evil author day ideas that I posted because why the heck not?

More fanart for friends. But only after I finish Butterfly. Or if I’m stumped and need a break.

Are you writing any original fiction? 

No. I love my day job and fanfiction is purely an escapist outlet for my creativity where I am beholden to no one but myself. Writing original fiction would defeat the purpose.

Although... a friend and I had some ideas that we’re calling ‘the four year plan’. As in, in 4 years my youngest will be out of the house and in college so maybe we’ll start joint-writing some OF together. We’ll see.

Hey! You make art! 

Yes, sometimes! I post here on tumblr, and I post my art on AO3 and instagram. If anyone would like to use my art for their fic or binding they are welcome to. I only ask that you credit and link me.

Your parents really read your smut? 

Yes. Yes they did. It was a very wholesome experience and I live blogged it! My kids also know that I write fanfiction, everyone is very supportive. It feels good not to hide my hobby! (that being said, no one at my work or my synagogue knows, that’s a bridge too far)

You have experiences with antisemitism in fandom?

In IRL and in fandom. Not just me, but my parents, my children, and others in my community. Yes. Hatred of Jews has skyrocketed since October 7, 2023. I could have chosen to stay silent and protect myself, but that would have done a disservice to Jews, to my friends, and most importantly, to my children.

There were consequences to speaking up. But it was more important to speak out against those that wish to oppress us.

Many Jewish people have reached out to me, non-Jews have also reached out saying they didn’t know, and they are thankful that they had the opportunity to listen to the suppressed perspective of Jews.

Absolutely worth the hate I got.

I’ve also written about antisemitism in the Dramione fandom here and here. It reflects a larger trend in the United States and globally among youth.

If you’d like to learn more on how to support Jews during this terrible time, and you’d like to learn about Jewish history, Jewish identity, modern day antisemitism and how it mimics historical antisemitism I give some good resources here.

Expect Butterfly to express social commentary. One of the issues that makes Dramione so fascinating its potential to be a commentary on bigotry.

You have experience with fandom bullying? 

Yup. I spoke up about my experience on reddit, unfortunately, lots of the popular writers, artists, podficcers and their groupies like bullying people over every subject both large and small, no matter how petty. Their behavior has caused many artists, writers and readers to delete their accounts or leave the fandom. It’s no wonder fandom has become a place where Jew hatred flourishes. It’s chock full of people that enjoy bullying others.

On to the happy stuff:

A Guide to My Fics 

Evil Author Day Ideas, NR, What I do when I’m procrastinating on Butterfly. It’s a compilation of first and second chapters for ideas I may or may not write in the future. After Butterfly of course. Please yell at me for not focusing on Butterfly.

Innovation, E, 18K, angry smut and snark. A short story written for @bek48 on her birthday. Full of snark, banter, sexual tension and hate sex. Skewers more than a few fandom tropes. 

Summary: Draco and Hermione make each other miserable. But they come to an arrangement eventually.

Escape From Malfoy Manor, E, 70-100K, Choose Your Own Adventure, war AU. An art/fic collaboration with @goodnight-fraublucher, @mysteriouscatstellation, @photonzeroinfinity, @efinna, @misdemeanor1331 and @bek48​

Summary: Hermione wakes up in a prison cell with no memory of how she got there. Will she make it out alive? A fic/art collab with some friends designed to make you laugh, shriek in terror, bite your nails, cringe, and ponder your life choices. With over 35 delightfully gruesome ways for our favorite protagonists to die, this is a great Halloween read.

From Wiltshire, With Love, E, 350K, spy/handler war AU

Summary: Hermione convinces Draco to spy for the Order and she becomes his handler. But what are his true motivations? Hard to say when he's still figuring that out himself.

WINNER: 2022 Top Dramione Fics on Reddit 4th Place Wartime 2nd Place BAMF!Hermione

Shivering With Antici - SAY IT! - pation, E, 20K, smut and snark, an AU in the FWWL universe

Summary: Spying for the Order is taking its toll on Draco. To cheer him up, Hermione brings him to a midnight showing of the Rocky Horror Picture Show to participate in the virgin induction ceremony. 

Draco is not amused.

Blackmailed, E, 48K, smut and snark, 7th year, a surprising plot and gut punch at the end

Summary: Draco finds out something pertaining to the war that Hermione would do anything to prevent from getting out. How far is she willing to go to protect her secret?

WINNER: 2022 Top Dramione Fics on Reddit 2nd Place Dom!Draco (but he's totally a switch here, as is Hermione)

Draco’s Body, E, 11K, demon!Draco, war AU, co-created with art from the amazing @doodleladi 

Summary: The war rages on and changed Draco into something evil.

They All Taste the Same, E, 77K vampire war AU, this one has two endings, based on Hermione’s decision to become a vampire or not. One is MCD, one is HEA. Written in 2010, finished during the pandemic.

Summary: Draco has always wanted Hermione, but a recent change has him wanting her even more.

A Dish Best Served Cold, E, 56K, 8th year, smutty, trope-busting whodunnit, my first ever fanfiction, written in 2010. 

Summary: Somebody is out to get Hermione. Draco gets caught in the middle, and doesn't mind at all!

The Gods Must Be Crazy, drabble collection for the Last Drabble Writer Standing Competition, Greek God prompts, each drabble has a different theme, plot, topic, genre. I highly recommend this competition. It’s good for meeting new friends, and improving your writing!

[fromourperspective]

Kinds of Jew-hate movements

source: HERE.

[turbomitzvah]

I'm still shocked by how many of our close friends decided on the first option. Were they faking their friendship for years? if they thought so poorly of us, why be our friends in the first place?

[mistresslynndramione]

It's incredible how easily people are manipulated.

They've learned nothing.

[mistresslynndramione]

4. Would you mind telling me a little about your writing routine? Do you tend to write in bursts, or do you have a disciplined routine where you write a certain number of pages? Do you prefer writing in the morning or in the evening, and do you usually write on a computer or your phone? 5. Are you taking a break from writing at the moment? I would absolutely love to see a third epilogue to Blackmailed! What are you working on right now?

4. It depends. I've gone through phases where I've been disciplined, and I've gone through phases where I've written in long bursts (COVID). If it's disciplined then I do time-based sessions, not output sessions. Morning is always best for me, but I try in the evening too. And I write on my laptop. I can't write on a phone, I don't know how people do that. I need a larger screen.

5. I'm not taking a break, I just don't have as much time as I did during COVID, so my output is slower. I'm actively working on Butterfly and I think I have about 100K right now, the first half is going through an alpha read while I finish up the second half for my alpha. The plot is complicated and requires a lot of mental coordination. I like to have most of the story written and 'beta ready' before I start posting but in the case of Butterfly where the plot needs an excel spreadsheet for me to keep track of events, that goes double! If you want to read the first chapter and take a few guesses as to what the story will be about, because I am not giving readers any hints or tags that will tell you, here it is!

As for that third epilogue to Blackmailed, I don't know. Maybe. I have a word doc with some notes that I may get back to after I finish Butterfly. I did end up writing Draco getting pegged by Hermione as a birthday present for @bek48 called Innovation. It's a short story, but it may satisfy the craving. It's a similar dynamic. ;)

[mistresslynndramione]

1. How old are you? Where do you live? What did you study, and what do you do for a living now? 2. You're a native English speaker, but you're not British, right? How did you learn to write fiction? Did you take any creative writing courses or read any books about writing? 3. Where do you get your inspiration for intimate scenes? Do you actually enjoy writing them? I know they're quite a challenge for some fic writers!

47, Boston, chemical engineering, I'd rather not say because I don't want to get doxxed but I love my job very much

Correct. However, some of my great-grandparents fled what is now called Ukraine (then called the Pale of Settlement, where Jews were restricted to living and were attacked with constant pogroms) and ended up in England. Others fled what is now called Belarus but came to the United States. Both my parents were born in the US. I don't know what happened to those that didn't make it out between 1907-1917. Either they got massacred or they fled to Israel. At some point, I will search. My last name is not common.

How did I learn to write fiction? I just sat down and did it. No courses or books. However I learned from some excellent readers and writers: @bek48, @misdemeanor1331, @thebemoon pia_bartolini and geriatricpeepshow have helped me a great deal by acting as alphabetas - everything I know I learned from them.

Inspiration for intimate scenes? First, I think of a scene I'd like to write. Usually because I think it's hot and/or I haven't read anything similar. Then I try and make a plot that would enable that scene to happen. Porn first, plot second. LOL I do enjoy writing sex scenes, but when there's a purpose. When it advances the plot, the character development, etc, so that they're all different. If I'm not 'feeling it', then I don't write it. If I think the sex is boring, then my readers will too.

[mistresslynndramione]

Hi! I'm a huge fan of your work — From Wiltshire with Love, Blackmailed, The Dish Best Served Cold. I'm from Ukraine, and I just wanted to say that the whole of Ukraine stands with Israel. We know from our own experience what war is like, and my heart is with you. I wanted to ask you a few questions, if you don't mind. Of course, please feel free not to answer anything that feels too personal or intrusive. (questions are in the next messages)

Thank you so much! Ask whatever you like. I very much appreciate the sentiment. I have family and friends in Israel who have been in and out of bomb shelters for 3 years now. Just like they were in 2006 when Hezbollah started that war too at the IRGC's behest.

But I'm a Jewish American/Israeli, and fandom has spent that time dehumanizing us with blood libels to such an extent that they call murder, rape and hostage taking 'resistance' - in a war where, exactly like the Ukrainians, we did not want and did not start, against an enemy much larger than us. And since the antizionist hate movement can't hurt Israelis in Israel, they persecute Jews in the diaspora while claiming they're standing up against oppression.

Putin can't be appeased. Just like the IRGC, Hezbollah, Houthis, Hamas and other manifestations of the Muslim Brotherhood can't be appeased.

And the Russians, Iranians, Yemenis, Lebanese and Palestinians do not deserve to be held hostage by these terrible regimes engaging in forever wars.

The elements of Europe and the United States that think they can sit back and play nice are cowards. No better than Neville Chamberlin or Cornelius Fudge.

We are not.

I have been astounded at the steadfastness and bravery of the Ukranians and I hope that all the refugees stranded abroad, praying for the safety of their families like @mysteriouscatstellation will be able to return.

Modern warfare is changing before our very eyes. There has not been a change in tactics and technology this seismic since the invention of the machine gun, and Ukrainians have become global leaders while Europe let their militaries fall into disrepair and freeloads off the United States for its defense.

Every country is taking notes right now. No country in the world has the technology or expertise of Ukraine in drone warfare, and that was borne out of necessity. Much like no country in the world has the technology or expertise of Israel in missile defense. Again, borne out of necessity.

One of Israel's big mistakes was not collaborating with Ukraine on drone technology when Zelenskyy offered a few years ago, but they're collaborating now. Our enemies work together and I'm glad we are too.

The Gulf States are learning the hard way that appeasement doesn't work. And if the far east isn't careful, the same thing will happen to them with China.

[mistresslynndramione]

what are your thoughts on jk rowling? xx

Is this an honest question or do you want to label me as a TERF because you don't like Jews that stand up for themselves?

Hiding behind the anonymity of the internet makes me think it's the latter. If I'm wrong, then I apologize. I think very poorly of the people in fandom due to the rampant Jew hatred they've allowed to fester. And that colors my impression of your intentions.

Regardless, I'll give you an honest answer because I really don't care what fandom thinks of me.

The thing I most care about w/r to JK Rowling is how she treats Jews. In an age where we're being persecuted and pushed out of medicine, academia, the arts, non-profit organizations, history, publishing, other professional and social circles - and violence against us constantly being justified - I don't have the luxury of caring about much else.

So in that regard, JKR has been incredibly brave in standing up for us. Jew hatred and violence against our communities hasn't been this high since the 1930's. 2026 is a time when speaking out against Jew hatred will get you threatened, harassed and ostracized by those on the political left and the political right.

Standing up for Jews has never been cool. Has never been mainstream. Has never been socially acceptable. And despite that? JK Rowling has consistently been speaking truth to power.

I will forever be grateful to her for that.

Have you - anon from tumblr - stood up for Jews? Spoken out against the antizionist Jew haters that you interact with in fandom?

Because that takes bravery.

It doesn't take any bravery to finger wag at Nazis and white supremacists. You're preaching to the choir. But it does take bravery to turn to the people you hang out with, the people in fandom, the people in power, and to tell them that they are wrong. To tell them that they are engaging in hate speech, and they are making the world less safe for Jews, and to explain why.

Prior to COVID, JK Rowling stood up to the antisemitism of Jeremy Corbyn and his Labour party when no one would. Jews were extremely vocal. We protested and no one listened. We were pushed out of politics and marginalized. But JKR stood for us and she stood with us.

At least that vile cockroach Corbyn lost his election.

JKR has continued to stand up for Jews post-Oct 7 where antizionist hatred has overtaken British (and world) politics. She's correctly pointed out the hypocrisy of those on the left that claim to be antiracist while spreading antisemitic conspiracy theories that get us killed.

The people in fandom I've seen unequivocally calling out antizionist Jew hatred can be counted on one hand. And I'm one of them.

Fandom has been overrun by Jew haters. It's a cesspit. And those that claim to be against bigotry have either joined the Jew haters or remained silent. Silence allows Jew hatred to become mainstream.

And it has.

Those that claim to be anti-bigotry are not against bigotry. Not when there's a price to pay.

Speak out for transfolk? Sure. It's easy.

Clicks, likes and pats on the back.

Speak out against racism? Sure. It's easy.

Clicks, likes and pats on the back.

Speak out against misogyny? Sure. It's easy.

Clicks, likes and pats on the back.

Speak out against antizionist Jew hatred? That takes moral clarity and a backbone. Both are in short supply in fandom.

JK Rowling has a backbone and moral clarity w/r to Jews.

So does Boy George, who recently got pilloried for standing with us. As if he hasn't faced bigotry and hatred before.

Standing with Jews is not something cowards do. It's never been fashionable.

Do people really think that engaging in anti-Jewish tropes and hate speech suddenly becomes acceptable political discourse when they replace "Jew" with Zionist/AIPAC/Israel/Netanyahu?

I think antizionists know exactly what they're doing and are enjoying the freedom of finally being able to unleash the latent antisemitism society never addressed.

It's quite liberating to blame the Jews Zionists for your problems. As if this were some novel idea and a not millennia old trope which led to Jews repeatedly being murdered and chased out of their homes.

Having a scapegoat for personal and societal problems sure feels good - but it won't solve anything.

And yet? Jews are still getting persecuted and murdered because of it.

Grow a backbone and speak out. A society that pushes out its Jews is not a society that you want to live in.

Don't believe me?

Take a look at the countries that did. Most recently, the Soviet Union and every single country in the Middle East and North Africa.

So as not to avoid the trans issue, I'll say this. Israel has had openly LGBT in the army long before western activists fought for it in their own militaries. The fabulous transwoman Dana International won Eurovision in 1998. Loud and proud and celebrated by me and the rest of my people.

This was 25 years before the pathetic Irish contender, Bambi 'The future is queer' Thug recently lost to the incredibly brave Eden Golan, the Israeli contender, despite the antisemitic harassment from Ireland and other delegations.

Where have you been Ireland? Europe? Australia? United States?

Get with the program. Israel was LGBT friendly long before trans-activism took over western politics.

Link to the fabulous Dana International owning Eurovision in 1998 as a loud and proud transwoman.

[kosherdragon]

[mistresslynndramione]

The entire eastern hemisphere has been nearly emptied of its Jews.

Where are the majority?

Dead or in Israel because there was nowhere else to go.

Nobody wanted us. Nobody protested for us. Not Muslims, not Christians, not atheists or anyone else.

And the UN did not care because it's a democracy of representatives of human rights abusers protecting their own oppressive, corrupt regimes.

The UN Human Rights Council is an oxymoron.

[misdemeanor1331]

Broom Go Vroom, Ch27 [Dramione F1 Broom Racing AU]

And we're back!

Rita Skeeter's broken down all the summer-break drama ahead of The Cornfield, the season's only US-based race.

Join us, won't you? 🧹🏁

Chapter 27: Race Week with Rita: The Cornfield, USA

[mistresslynndramione]

When the Jew hatred of antizionism and antisemitism gets you down... remember this.

Mark Twain wrote this 45 years before the Holocaust and 50-60 years before pan-Arabism tried and failed to genocide us.

Twice.

Antizionism is a violent hate movement. And we'll survive that too.

And just in case you were wondering, yes. Israel has been preparing for mass aliyah.

Israel already has real-time experience in dealing with such inflows. In 1991, the country airlifted over 14,000 people from Ethiopia in a day and a half.

More recently, some 75,000 immigrants arrived from Russia and Ukraine in the span of months after the war broke out in 2022.

Your own country may not want you anymore, but your people always will.

[mistresslynndramione]

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[koshercosplay]

judaism as lord of the rings gifs

pesach

rosh hashanah

simchas torah

sefirah

after the nine days

lag baomer

tu bishvat

bonus: purim

[aridotdash]

omer

[mistresslynndramione]

My dearest mistress lynn, as an american jew living in Israel. I’ve spent the past four days of the iran war readinf from wiltshire with love in my bomb shelter. To open your tumblr and see you are jewish is the most excited i’ve been in a LONG TIME.

Thank you for being you. Proud to support you and learn from you.

Achoti, I miss Israel already.

Thank you so much for your words of strength. A few Israelis and Jews in the Diaspora have contacted me for the very same reason. THIS is why I spoke out. For my children and for other Jews. If I were with you, I'd give you a hug. I hope this war ends soon. My friends and family are in and out of bomb shelters since Oct 7. I pray for them and the rest of my people, the Israeli Arabs among us, and for the Iranians.

Chazak chazak v'nitchazek.

Hamas, Hezbollah, Houthis and the IRGC don't discriminate in who they murder. They actively target population centers, the IRGC has been using cluster bombs to the utter silence from those who claim to care about International Law. Just like those fake humanitarians were silent about the massacre of Iranian protestors, Hamas using rape as a weapon of war, the ongoing genocide of Sudanese, the executions of Palestinians by Hamas and Hamas stealing humanitarian aid to blackmail their own people.

No Jews? No news.

Israeli resilience gives us strength. Over a span of 30 years, Israel defeated pan-Arabism and made peace with Jordan and Egypt. Now they are hopefully defeating pan-Islamism, which will not only free those brave Iranians from the IRGC, but will free the Lebanese and Syrians from Hezbollah, perhaps the Yemenis from the Houthis, and maybe even the Palestinians from Hamas.

So much horror was caused by the IRGC for the past 47 years.

Take heart in the bomb shelter. I think we'll see normalization with Lebanon and Syria in the coming years now that the IRGC isn't controlling them anymore. This war has also unwittingly created a military alliance between Israel and the Gulf States. It won't be just about economic cooperation anymore. A stable, cooperative Middle East will be good for everyone.

As for the Diaspora, Jew hatred has become mainstream and is only getting worse. I fear that the damage to world Jewry is irreparable.

Like many completely unrelated hobbies and subcultures, the Dramione fandom became an absolute cesspit of antizionist Jew hate.

Same tropes as classic antisemitism, but different labels.

Antizionists swap out "Jew" for "Zionist" or "Israel", use the same tired tropes from Medieval Christian and Muslim society, and cause the same persecution while hobnobbing with the white supremacists they claim to hate.

Antizionist hate speech has ostracized Jews and pushed us out of social, academic and professional settings while our communal places and businesses are firebombed, shot and vandalized and individuals are attacked on the streets.

I don't recognize my country anymore. It's never been this bad, I've only read about it in other countries and history books.

Folks forget that in the 1930's and 40's, an isolationist United States didn't want to be dragged into a foreign war by the powerful Jews who controlled the government/banks/media.

Sound familiar? Just swap out "Jew" for "Israel" or "Zionist" and it's the same rhetoric you hear today.

Never mind that for all our supposed power back then, we couldn't even get the US or anyone else to relax the quotas on immigration that would have saved 6 million Jews from genocide. We couldn't even get the military to bomb Auschwitz or the railroad tracks and stop the genocide when we knew what was going on.

The Red Cross hated Jews back then too and whitewashed the death camps. So did the New York Times. Little has changed in the media or NGOs.

I looked around the past two and a half years and saw who stood with us, who called for violence against Zionists Jews, and who was silent despite claims they stand up for minorities while Jews are being actively persecuted right in front of them and in the spaces they frequent.

We have some very good, very outspoken friends, popping up in places I did not expect. At the same time, there are those that claim to be anti-racist who are some of the most bigoted people I've had the displeasure of interacting with.

Listen to the lived experiences of minorities! But not if they're Jews.

If liberal Democracies like the US, UK, Canada and Australia cannot tolerate Jews living amongst them and we are forced to leave because we can no longer thrive, then they are no longer liberal Democracies. I feel sorry for our friends who will be stuck in societies that have deteriorated so drastically.

At least, just like the Jews in the Middle East and North Africa who were expelled by Muslims, the Jews of North America and those who survived Europe have a place to go.

Despite it all, we still stand tall and take care of one another.

We're only 15 million in the world, but we have each other. I wouldn't have it any other way.

Am Yisrael Chai!

[mistresslynndramione]

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[mistresslynndramione]

I'm proud of my people's service members, both American and Israeli in their fight for freedom. And I'm proud of Iranians who are some of the bravest people in history. They deserve to be free. They deserve to be helped.

The Middle East will be a better, safer more prosperous place without the IRGC. And so will the world.

Jews and Israelis all over the world stand in solidarity with the people of Iran. We can't wait for direct flights between Tel Aviv and Tehran. We are praying for all of you.

Straight from the bomb shelters of Israel.

Happy Purim!

[mistresslynndramione]

I just wanted to say that I never knew you were Jewish and as I'm also Jewish, it feels nice to know I'm not alone in the fandom. Since Oct 7, I've seen authors post 'updates' to long-dead fics where it was just them saying things like 'all Zionists should go to hell' (that particular fic is gone now) or updated a note in a four-year-dead fic to say something about IvP (seemingly only remembering the fic exists to politicize it lol), so I've been pulling away from the fandom for a while now. It just feels too hostile.

And it's almost funny, in a way, that we really are the canaries in the coal mine every time, aren't we? Because now I see them going after others too. The ouroboros always eats itself in the end.

Ahem, anyway, it's time for me to go reread your work! You always were one of the best. 🥹

Achoti!

Always good to virtually meet another member of the tribe. Thank you for reaching out! We are tiny but mighty. :)

I'm glad my work speaks to you. The Jewish philosophy on redemption and atonement is used in FWWL and the fight of the Order against Voldemort's Army was loosely based on the 1948 Israeli War of Independence.

You are not the only Jew in the fandom, quite a few have reached out to me detailing similar experiences to mine and yours - not just in the Dramione fandom - but in most subcultures.

We're being ostracized, threatened, physically assaulted, gunned down, firebombed and driven out of social and professional spaces.

Unfortunately, despite being the targets of hate crimes more than all other groups combined in NYC in the past year, we don't have people speaking up for us like they do for the LGBTQ community. Or the POC community. Or the Muslim community. Or immigrants. Or Native Americans. Etc etc etc.

Violence against us is justified. We are universally persecuted, by both the political left and the political right. Only 15 million of us remain in the world, and yet those that stand in solidarity with us are few and far between.

Oct 7 changed reality for the world's Jews. We thought antisemitism was relegated to the fringe of society, a relic of the past.

We were wrong.

The mass hysteria that followed Oct 7, 2023 answered the two questions for me that I really wish had stayed theoretical questions to ponder:

How could people suddenly turn on their Jewish friends, neighbors and colleagues? People they saw, interacted with on a daily, weekly basis? People they were close to? In Oct of 2023, it happened to me. It happened to you. It happened to my family. It happened to my friends. It happened to every Jew I know IRL and on-line.

Can people really be so easily manipulated, even with all this access to information?

Yes. Yes they can. We watched it happen.

Despite the overwhelming choice in information, most people choose information that confirms what they want to believe. They will not interact with information that makes them uncomfortable.

As a result?

Millions of people made their entire political identity revolve around Jews and Zionism without knowing what either is; and persecuted those of us that tried to explain.

They scream Globalize the Intifada without knowing (or caring) that they're calling for the murder of Jews.

They scream From the River to the Sea without knowing which river or which sea they're even talking about.

They call for resistance when that resistance took the form of a murder, rape and kidnapping spree of Jews.

They terrorize Jewish people with such confidence, (while assured that they are 'humanitarian'), in every space we frequent, trying shut us up and make us leave as if that will solve a complex geopolitical conflict on the other side of the world, a conflict they know nothing about.

And they call us whitesettlercolonizergenocidersapartheidimperialistcapitalistracistbabykillerNazi's in order to justify their behavior.

Easily manipulated, mindless, useful idiots.

And that behavior, that manipulation can be directed towards anything.

Jews really are the canaries in the coal mine.

We've always been different. Proudly so.

A society that cannot tolerate Jews is a society that cannot tolerate diversity, regardless of how much lip service is paid to DEI.

A society obsessed with Jews, that blames Jews for its problems and turns on them, drives them out ... does not solve its problems. In fact, those problems get worse, because the obsession with Jews was always the distraction.

It never ends with us.

Antizionism is a hate movement, and its victims aren't just Jews.

So what is a Jew to do in such terrible times?

We're not trendy. We never have been. But if we know our history and we know our strengths, they can't beat us. What is our strength?

Each other. Our community. Our people.

That's how we've survived throughout millenia. And societies that use us as a distraction for their very real, systemic problems do not.

For those who would like to learn Jewish history and the complexity of geopolitical conflicts instead of resorting to blurbs, infographics, memes and tik tok reels full of buzzword bingo, I recommend Haviv Rettig Gur and Dara Horn.

I highly recommend that Tim Walz and anyone else weaponizing Jewish trauma for political purposes (no matter how justified they feel in the goal of helping immigrants or anyone else facing persecution) to read and internalize Chapter 1 of 'People Love Dead Jews'.

Ask Haviv Anything

"Ask Haviv Anything" is a podcast about history, a podcast you, dear listener, will help to shape and direct, focusing not just on what I wa

Amazon.com: People Love Dead Jews: Reports from a Haunted Present eBook : Horn, Dara: Books

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