My message: Promote kindness in a world ruled by fear

Dear future president,

As you ascend the podium as the next President of the United States of America, I ask you to keep my family safe. I’m the great-grandchild of immigrants who fled countries where they were horribly persecuted because of their Judaism. It’s astonishing that a teenager in America could feel as though she is being persecuted for many of the same of the same reasons.

I am living in an era where the news gets worse each and every day. News of shootings and attacks on people like myself surface daily, each one striking more fear in me than the last. In two years, I will be heading off to college, where young Jewish girls are often discriminated against. It is up to you to make the world a place where 17-year-olds can picture a higher education free of persecution due to their religion.

My great-grandparents lived in fear of the same discrimination. They were ostracized for the way they looked, the way they acted, and for observing Shabbat. They had to be on guard, and it was difficult for them to defend themselves. As president, it is your job to promote kindness in this delicate world. You can ensure justice is served, and must do what is in your power to eliminate hate crimes of any sort to prevent a repeat of horrid events in the past. Make sure that this country is too full of hope to lose it to the strong powers of hate.

Sincerely,

Rachel Bernstein

Palisades Charter High School

Los Angeles, Calif.