Written by Esther Israel in August 2021
After experiencing coordinated and intentional discrimination on the job at The Venus Fly Trap Agency (fictional name of a real place), I sought to learn more about strategies that systems use to enact discrimination with impunity. I focus on anti-Semitism because it seemed to be the most glaring of the discriminations I endured at this job and it is ongoing. The information I will share is derived from “A Handbook For Recognizing and Resisting Anti-Semitism and for Building Jewish Identity and Pride” by Melanie Kaye/Kantrowitz and Irena Klepfisz with Bernice Mennis. This was published in the book, “The Tribe of Dina: A Jewish Women’s Anthology” that is edited by Melanie Kate/Kantrowitz and Irena Klepfisz. It is titled, “In Gerangl/In Struggle.” In case the reader is not aware from my name, I am Jewish.
The Venus Fly Trap Agency (1) fostered silence around their mistreatment of me in several ways. They blocked me from accessing my work email and Google voicemail (435-565-1148; no longer my number) when they put me on administrative leave for a month. During this time, The Venus Fly Trap Agency threatened to fire me if I talked to my clients and coworkers while on administrative leave. They filed a restraining order to prevent me from talking about my experiences of why they placed me on administrative leave. The Venus Fly Trap Agency did this in an ex-parte motion while I was employed there and on administrative leave. The judge that ruled against me, never heard or sought to hear my side of their story. The Venus Fly Trap Agency uses the myth of the powerful Jew who swayed her coworkers to do something they didn’t want to do and who will somehow ruin them financially. This is their basis for why they sued only me from the other coworkers involved, and why they may sue me again if they feel threatened that I will reveal a document they made private in an ex-parte motion.
After I filed an employment discrimination complaint with the Utah Anti-Discrimination and Labor Division (UALD, not discussed in the play), where “Jewish” is a box to check off as a protected class, The Venus Fly Trap Agency hired a new set of attorneys. One of the attorneys has a Jewish last name. I think that is intentional to convey the message to the Christian and secular courts and UALD, that this Jewish attorney doesn’t think The Venus Fly Trap Agency is being anti-Semitic or she wouldn’t have taken the case.
I was (2) prevented from being a member of The Venus Fly Trap Agency during my time of employment when I was placed on administrative leave. One the job, my supervisors constantly reminded me of the Jewish stereotypes they believed, which were unrelated to my job duties. (The text messages of my supervisor regarding his interest in my Judaism are transcribed into The Venus Fly Trap Agency play.) My supervisors and administrative staff there regularly solicited my opinion on current events in Israel. They engaged in disparaging talk about religious people and observant Jews in my presence. The Venus Fly Trap Agency let me know when they were courting a wealthy Jewish donor and assumed that I would somehow connect with the Jewish donor over the important cause of domestic violence, otherwise I am not loyal to the job. I was expected to be a useful Jew to The Venus Fly Trap Agency by aligning myself with them along political, cultural, religious, secular and class lines. Upon my employment discharge and with approval from the courts and the Utah Department of Workforce Services, I was forbidden from publicizing my work that I had created for the job (in services and presentations in the community on emotion coaching, self-care, and healing from sexual shame), if it would indicate my connection to The Venus Fly Trap Agency. They assume ownership of my work for them in perpetuity.
The Venus Fly Trap Agency (3) isolated me and scapegoated me. I was the only employee blamed for the April Fools’ Day joke even though one other coworker was more involved than me, as she authored the document that I was blamed for disseminating to my coworkers, whereas I edited her document. I was the only employee preemptively accused on the job and in a lawsuit, of wishing to disseminate a document to the public even though I assured the executive director this was not the case. There were five coworkers involved in the April Fools’ Day joke including my supervisor who gave me permission to proceed. I was the only one of my coworkers who was (a) placed on administrative leave, (b) sued without a legal claim, (c) fired without warning and after I complied with administrative leave guidelines, (d) threatened to have my license investigated following their false report that I violated a client’s confidentiality and (e) denied unemployment insurance due to their false (and easily falsifiable) testimony to various attorneys and judges.
On the job at The Venus Fly Trap Agency, my supervisors tried to polarize my complaints. For example, when I discussed the poor hygiene of the staff working at the shelter (not covered in the play - because talking about dirty toilets is not entertaining), they treated this as tension between outpatient office staff (me) and shelter staff. When I tried to get coworkers and volunteers at The Venus Fly Trap Agency to testify on my behalf in a telephonic hearing with the Utah Department of Workforce Services following my discharge (not covered in the play), this was blocked by the attorney for The Venus Fly Trap Agency. The social worker supervisor who gave me permission to proceed with an April Fools’ Day joke, testified for The Venus Fly Trap Agency to the Department of Workforce Services judge, that she told me it was a bad idea and I proceeded without her permission. Due to her perjury, the judge ruled against me and I did not receive unemployment insurance from the Department of Workforce Services.
Even though the true ending of the play is not good for me, here are the things that I did and do to resist what I perceive as anti-Semitic treatment by The Venus Fly Trap Agency. I talk to others, and many Jews, about my experiences at this job. I started attending synagogue every Shabbat and on Jewish holidays. I began to practice and show my Judaism more intentionally, by keeping Shabbat and kosher. I have been building my Jewish identity, pride and community by examining and adjusting my attitudes about my Jewish upbringing, immersing myself in Jewish culture and history, developing a Jewish perspective on things and challenging my non-religious Jewish friends who are uncomfortable with my change process. (Ironically, my non-Jewish friends are accepting and understanding of my religious practice.) I identify some of my values as Jewish values. (“Justice, justice you shall pursue…” – Deuteronomy 15:20) I attend synagogue weekly. When people bring up the state of Israel, I no longer think or say, “Just because my last name is Israel, doesn’t mean I’m a spokesperson.”
I am concerned with socioeconomic class. I grew up poor and spent most of my adulthood struggling in the middle class. I know about the stereotypes of rich Jews and think it’s vulgar and doesn’t apply to me. I talk about socioeconomic class among Jews and non-Jews and as it applies to accessing mental health care.
There are important people in my life who are Jewish but not Jewish like me. There are important people in my life who are not Jewish but are like me in other regards. I seek to connect with them in solidarity and critical thinking. I have a very Jewish name, a Jewish look, and fulfill some Jewish stereotypes (smart, neurotic, kind). I am no more or less Jewish because I meet the expectations of others.
I regularly connect with other groups of people who feel marginalized in their Jewish community and who are marginalized in society. I welcome working with likeminded and vulnerable people to make improvements in society at large and to prevent my anti-Semitic and discriminatory experiences from recurring. I have a limited amount of time and resources and I have decided that a play and a website are the right forums for me and you.
Reference:
Kaye/Kantrowitz, M., Klepfisz, I., and Mennis, B. (1989). In Gerangl/In Struggle. A Handbook For Recognizing and Resisting Anti-Semitism And For Building Jewish Identity And Pride. In M. Kaye/Kantrowitz & I. Klepfisz (Eds.), The Tribe of Dina: A Jewish Women’s Anthology (Revised and Expanded ed., pp. 334-346.) Beacon Press.
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