They emailed me that I was “weird and Jewish” and didn’t want to be friends anymore

The first time I ever experienced antisemitism I was 10 years old. I knew 5th grade girls were already capable of being vicious and spiteful, but this seemed to be on another level. I was being bullied by girls who used to be my friends. It was 2009 and cyberbullying was becoming popular. I had received an email from one of the girls that read, “We don’t want to be your friend. You’re weird, you wear glasses, your hair is too curly and you’re Jewish.” I was standing in the kitchen while my mom was cooking dinner when that message entered my inbox. I didn’t know how to feel besides betrayed. The reasons this girl decided I was weird were all based on things out of my control. Traits that are quite literally defined by my blood. By family. I don’t remember much of what happened afterwards, but I do recall that the girls and I wound up in a session with the school guidance counselor because my mom called about that email. It resulted in things only getting worse, so I left the public school system and wound up at a private school.