… Although this only happened a few hours ago (as I write), I have to admit that it has affected me deeply. I have seen a lot of people confront me in anger. I have had chairs, rocks, spit, and many other things thrown at me by fellow Jews. I have never lost my resolve to continue doing what I believe is right, but the idea that someone would want to kill me over a difference of religious practice is really beyond comprehension. I look at my fellow Israelis with love and hope, but this morning, while I was using a kitchen knife to make my breakfast, I paused for a moment and looked at that potential weapon in a whole new light.

Today many good people, both young and old, are cleaning those walls of graffiti. The words will be gone, but the problem will remain. There needs to be accountability for public figures who incite to violence. The government needs to implement the Kotel plan immediately so we can begin the process of moving past decades of religious coercion. Finally, we all have an obligation to teach through our words and our actions that Israeli society has room for all of us and that there is more than one way to be a Jew.