Melissa Franklin has always decorated her home for Hanukkah \u2013 proudly hanging a Star of David on her porch and placing her family\u2019s menorah in the front window.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
This year, however, will be different.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cI just can\u2019t see us doing it because I don\u2019t want retaliation,\u201d Franklin said. \u201cI don\u2019t want vandalism on my home.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
In the weeks since the Oct. 7 attack on Israel, hate crimes and antisemitism have spiked across the United States.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Jewish synagogues and community centers have increased security amid threats of violence, protests have erupted on college campuses, and a 69-year-old Jewish man, Paul Kessler, died in Southern California following a confrontation at dueling protests over the war. A pro-Palestinian protester has been charged with involuntary manslaughter and battery causing serious bodily injury in Kessler\u2019s death. He has pleaded not guilty. A statement from his attorney called his actions that day \u201cpeaceful.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Franklin said the surge in antisemitism has made her feel uncomfortable making any public display of her Jewish identity, or her support for Israel.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Melissa Franklin poses for a portrait at her home on November 8, 2023.
Melissa Franklin poses for a portrait at her home on November 8.
Austin Steele\/CNN
Leaders from the Jewish Federations of North America acknowledged there is widespread fear among Jewish families. Sarah Eisenman, chief community and Jewish life officer for the organization, said she empathizes with Jewish Americans who are changing their normal routines or hiding markers of their Jewish heritage to avoid being targeted.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cI do think they are rightfully fearful,\u201d Eisenman said. \u201cI think it\u2019s a scary environment right now and we should all be outraged at what we are seeing.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
CNN recently asked Arabs, Muslims and Jews in America how they are facing the new reality of increased hate-motivated attacks against their communities. Nearly 800 people responded from across the country.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Some Jewish Americans told CNN they are now hiding their kippahs, refusing to wear their Star of David necklaces and changing long-held traditions for religious holidays.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Some practicing Jews have said they are even afraid to visit one of the most sacred places in their faith \u2014 the synagogue \u2014 out of fear of being killed, attacked or harassed because of their religion. These are their stories.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Michael Edelman poses for a portrait in his home on November 9, 2023.
Michael Edelman says he constantly checks the news for updates about the war.
Austin Steele\/CNN
He\u2019s covering his kippah with a cap
Michael Edelman said his mother has always warned him not to expose his kippah \u2014 a head covering traditionally worn by Jewish men \u2014 on public transportation in New York City.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cMy mother would always tell me \u2018Please wear a hat when you go on the trains,\u2019\u201d Edelman said, adding she feared he could be attacked or targeted for his religious beliefs.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
For years, Edelman, 25, said he ignored his mother\u2019s concerns.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
But as the Israel-Hamas war continues to drive a surge in antisemitism in the US, he said he\u2019s taking her advice more seriously.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Now, every time he leaves the house, Edelman said he puts a baseball cap over his kippah.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
A SURGE IN HATE
The Anti-Defamation League said it recorded 312 antisemitic incidents across the United States over the first 17 days after the Hamas Oct. 7 attack on Israel. These incidents include harassment, vandalism and assault, the ADL said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cPeople say you should be proud and not be afraid, but overall, I think it\u2019s smarter to wear a hat (over my kippah),\u201d he said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Edelman said the news reports of antisemitic attacks and anti-Israel protests have also made him more mindful of his surroundings in public. He has stopped wearing headphones while walking, so he can hear if someone is approaching.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Earlier this year, Edelman graduated from Yeshiva University, but he said seeing the haunting images on TV of the Israel-Hamas war \u2014 especially images of victims and the widespread destruction \u2014 has made him so anxious he has struggled to focus on applying for jobs.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cIt\u2019s been hard to focus I\u2019m not going to lie,\u201d Edelman said. \u201cI check the news 24\/7.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
In recent weeks, he said he\u2019s avoided parts of New York where rallies are taking place, in case violence erupts. He also avoids walking near the Columbia University campus where tensions have simmered after a student was assaulted while hanging up posters in support of Israel. New York police charged another student with assault and harassment as a hate crime.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
One thing the war will not stop him from doing, Edelman said, is going to his synagogue to pray \u2014 it gives him comfort during a difficult time.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cWe pray for peace constantly,\u201d Edelman said. \u201cWe pray three times a day.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Elliot Malin says he worries for his family’s safety.
Elliot Malin says he worries for his family’s safety.
Austin Steele\/CNN
He considers removing the Mezuzah from his door
Elliot Malin has proudly worn a Star of David necklace his entire life.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
But after protests erupted in his Reno, Nevada, community and he learned of attacks against Jews across the country, he decided to take it off.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
In October, Malin said demonstrators at a pro-Palestine rally yelled antisemitic obscenities at him.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Malin, a 31-year-old political consultant, said he attended the rally to make sure Jewish community members were not putting themselves at risk and chose not to engage with the demonstrators. But the threats have had a chilling effect.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cI know that I am a very visible member of the community, but my wife is not as visible. My parents are not as visible, and I am afraid for them,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Now, Malin and his family are considering removing their Mezuzah \u2013 a sacred scroll that blesses a home \u2013 from their doorpost. Malin said someone drew a swastika on the light post in front of his house in 2016. He now worries it could happen again.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cWhat we are seeing is a lot more danger and a lot more fear,\u201d he said. \u201cWe are just trying to protect ourselves as much as we can.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
But his past experiences have made him more worried about his family\u2019s safety.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Malin said he has been to a synagogue only once since the war started and has no immediate plans to return. Although there were armed security guards present, he said he still felt uneasy.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cWe can\u2019t pray without armed police presence,\u201d he said. \u201cWe can\u2019t go to our synagogues without somebody being there with guns. In what world would this be acceptable for any other religion? Some of our Muslim neighbors have to deal with the same thing and it\u2019s not fair to them either.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Melissa Franklin poses for a portrait at her home on November 8, 2023.
Melissa Franklin holds her Star of David necklace.
Austin Steele\/CNN
She\u2019s afraid of being \u2018publicly Jewish\u2019
Although Melissa Franklin has chosen not to decorate her house for Hanukkah, the Phoenix-area mother said her biggest concern lately has been the safety of her four college-aged children.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Franklin, 50, said she has asked them to hide anything that represents their Jewish identity including their Star of David necklaces and her son\u2019s Hebrew tattoo.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cIt\u2019s like, \u2018Don\u2019t go out of your way to be publicly Jewish,\u2019 and that\u2019s really sad,\u201d Franklin said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
She\u2019s particularly worried about her children being caught in the middle of the dueling protests that have erupted on college campuses across the country.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The climate on the campuses, she said, is \u201cterrifying and too much to bear.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Franklin hasn\u2019t felt safe going to Jewish community events or her synagogue, despite security being in place.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cHonestly, I just don\u2019t feel comfortable,\u201d she said. \u201cI don\u2019t want to orphan my kids because I was na\u00efve enough to go and think that nothing would happen to me.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
As the granddaughter of Holocaust survivors, Franklin said she never imagined a mass attack on Israel in her lifetime.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The world vowed \u201cnever again,\u201d and Franklin said she always hoped that the mass killing and attacks on Jews would not be repeated.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cYou feel this insulation from the terror the past generation has gone through \u2013 but it\u2019s just a false sense of security,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n