I found out that my best friend is an anti-Semite

My best friend, a Christian woman, is an anti-Semite. When I found out, I was shocked.<br><br>I was raised Jewish and although I am not religious, I don’t want to associate with people who are hateful towards any race or religion. I love my heritage and I love being Jewish. I take pride in speaking Yiddish and celebrating Jewish holidays.<br><br>My best friend and I have been friends for several years and she has always been very loving and kind towards me. When we got to know each other, she would ask me about my background and culture. She has never made any anti-Semitic jokes or remarks around me.<br><br>But a few weeks ago, I accidentally found out that she was an anti-Semite. I was visiting her home and I saw a book of David Icke’s conspiracy theories. I was shocked. I didn’t understand how anyone could believe that Jewish people were lizard aliens.<br><br>I asked her about the book and she said that she didn’t believe in conspiracy theories, but I should read the book since it was so important. I did as she said and read it, but I thought the book was ridiculous.<br><br>After finishing the book, I asked her how she felt about Jewish people. She said that she believed that Jewish people were lizard aliens and that they had a plot to control the world. She also said that she had some Jewish friends who were good people, but that her boyfriend and family also believed in these conspiracy theories.<br><br>I was shocked and disappointed. I felt betrayed, unsafe, and confused. I couldn’t believe that my best friend was an anti-Semite. I had always thought that she was a kind and empathetic person, but now I wasn’t sure.<br><br>I asked her how she could believe in these conspiracy theories and how she could be friends with Jewish people if she thought that we were evil. She said that she believed in these conspiracy theories because her boyfriend and family believed in them, and that she didn’t think that all Jewish people were lizard aliens.<br><br>She seemed confused and defensive. She told me that she was sorry that she upset me and that she didn’t think that I was a lizard alien. I told her that she shouldn’t make anti-Semitic jokes or assumptions about Jewish people, and that I couldn’t be friends with her if she didn’t apologize and change her beliefs.<br><br>She said that she didn’t want to lose me as a friend and that she would get rid of the book. She also said that she didn’t want to lose me as a friend because I was the only Jewish person who she knew.<br><br>I told her that I would give her another chance, but that she needed to read a book about the Holocaust and Jewish history instead of the conspiracy theory book. She agreed but she didn’t read the book.<br><br>I have tried to talk to her multiple times about how her beliefs and behaviors are hurtful and traumatic for me, but she doesn’t take me seriously. She says that she doesn’t hate me and that she is not an anti-Semitic person.<br><br>I don’t know what to do anymore. I feel lost and alone. I love her and I don’t want to lose her as a friend, but I can’t be friends with someone who is anti-Semitic.<br><br>I know that I need to stand up for myself and for Jewish people, but it’s hard when I also care about my friend. I fear that she could influence others to become anti-Semites and contribute to the erasure and marginalization of Jewish people.<br><br>I wish that she could understand how her beliefs and behaviors hurt me and how they perpetuate harmful stereotypes and prejudices. I hope that she will change and become a better friend and person.<br><br>I will never stop loving myself and taking pride in my heritage. I will never stop being Jewish. I will never stop being proud to be Jewish.