[Applause]
January 2015 and two radical Islamic
terrorists in Paris stormed the Charlie
Hebdo satirical magazine headquarters
because they’re offended at depictions
of their Prophet Muhammad that the
publication had put out and they
brutally Massacre 12 people and they
kill these people in cold blood and they
injure 11 more the whole world was
shocked it was horrific absolutely
horrific in two days later another two
terrorists walked into a kosher
supermarket again in Paris and took
everyone there hostage before killing
for Jewish shoppers who had simply gone
out that morning to buy groceries for
their families senseless murder and
horrifying as well I watched all of this
tragedy unfold from a great distance
from my home in Tel Aviv in Israel and
immediately I thought of some family
there and one friend in particular a
good friend a dear friend who had
actually introduced me to my wife and
this friend had lived in Israel and
recently moved to Paris and so I got in
touch with her to see how she was doing
and when I connected with her she said
that she was okay she was shocked and
she was scared and it was very close and
personal this experience with her
because her father-in-law and her
brother-in-law had actually been at that
very same supermarket that morning there
was one other thing that she said that
really upset me it was very difficult
for me to hear and that was that since
moving from Paris from Israel to Paris
she had never really expressed that she
was Jewish or even that she had been to
Israel let alone lived in Israel and
this upset me and I could relate being
Jewish and having lived in different
countries about how difficult it is
sometimes to bring it up for example
when I was a child growing up in Hong
Kong and I had a very happy child in
Hong Kong but
it would be punctuated by things that
didn’t make me so happy like that time
when a little boy in school for some
reason held up his hand in the Nazi
salute put his two fingers under his
nose and started marching around saying
Heil Hitler
while my friends kind of like laughed I
never understood why or flash war – when
I was a young schoolboy in London
wearing my blazer with the Jewish Ten
Commandments on my blazer pocket out of
nowhere a group of other school boys
jumped me saying get that you get that
Jew I got away unscathed physically at
least
and sometimes then as an adult as well
sometimes subtle sometimes not so subtle
incidents like that so sure I could
relate to her sense of discomfort and I
could relate to her fear but it bothered
me and so after speaking to her I felt
like I wanted to do what I usually do
when I’m sad or frustrated being a
writer I I would sit down and write and
I wanted to write something in
solidarity with her to show her that she
wasn’t alone and so I stared at the
blank screen and I wrote in three words
came up there quite simple I’m that Jew
and I looked at those words like who’s
that you what is that gee what does that
even mean that’s such a three simple
words but such a big statement and they
really challenged me and the only way I
could answer I guess was to continue
writing and so I wrote I’m not always
writing to that footnote citing to that
academic Jew that scholarship that
thinking to that let me tell you
something to work a Jew white-collar Jew
that tend the flock and herded you that
arrogant you that humbled you that
whatever Jew I’m in the mood to be Jew
just like you that oh yes I’m just
getting started Jew this do that Jew the
word started pouring out of me and I was
writing them to her but I was writing
them to me I was writing them to my
Jewish community I was writing them to
anyone who would listen I was writing
these words and as they came out it felt
like
they were coming from deep within my
soul like it was something that I’d
wanted to say my entire life but I just
couldn’t a weight was being lifted off
my chest
I was flushing the negative stereotype
of the Jew the one that everyone
seemingly knew down the toilet and
replacing it with my own narrative my
true narrative my narrative I felt it
and it was empowering and I wrote and
continued to write until I finished it
when I finished it I didn’t really edit
it much it just it felt good to me it
felt like it was what it needed to be
and I posted it on a blog and people
started liking it people started sharing
it and they started commenting on it and
there was one particular comment that
stood out I’m that so nice to know I’m
not the only one who feels this way too
it’s like whoa this complete stranger
resonated with her she felt it somehow
I’d connected with her and right then
and there being a creative director of a
branding agency I realized that this
narrative that I’d created lends itself
perfectly to a video and I knew that it
needed to be a video and the concept was
simple relatively I pair every Jewish
characteristic or personality with a
real Jewish person and there’d be some
other references to for example Albert
Einstein would be that wild hair genius
Jew Steven Spielberg that proud of being
Jewish Jew Jerry Seinfeld not that
there’s anything wrong with that Jew
an Amy Winehouse that damn I’m gone too
soon jus then the list went on I
recruited my incredibly talented nephew
who was an editor and director Adam and
a close friend of mine Dana in the
States and a few other really creative
friends close friends and I worked with
them and we worked for months tirelessly
stitching these personalities and people
together with lots and lots of editing
and decisions to make and after a few
months we eventually got there and when
I showed the work-in-progress to some
close friends and family I let them take
a look at it and they were like it’s
great but it’s on this thing is six
minutes long you crazy no one’s gonna
sit through this no one’s gonna watch
six minutes of this you have to shorten
it and I had a problem with that
I really had a deep problem with that
because stereotypes and the jura
stereotype usually boils down to one or
two things they’re not usually positive
things and here was a chance for me to
show depth and to show breadth and to
show humor and seriousness and drama and
everything that I felt that we had I
didn’t want to show that one Jew that we
are I wanted to show all of what we are
and for it to be as long as it needed to
be and that number six had some
relevance because of the Holocaust
there’s so much anti-semitism out there
there was then there is now in addition
to helping people potentially feel good
about themselves publicly maybe this
could help fight that stereotype so I
said screw it and it stayed at six
minutes long I was practically done I
was 97% there and suddenly I hit a wall
it was such an emotional experience it
took so much out of me that I just
couldn’t complete it I was waiting for
that inspiration to enable me to close
this process to get this thing out there
and I stayed stuck for another few
months and it was incredibly frustrating
and then suddenly in October at the
beginning of October 2015 in Israel we
were hit with a new wave of terrorism
Cillian terrorists were knifing stabbing
innocent people in the back wherever
they were in a movie line in a shopping
centre random stabbings and as this was
happening every day for weeks on end we
were all so frustrated and sad and I
became possessed I realized that I need
to do this now and within 48 hours like
a madman I worked I didn’t sleep and I
managed to close the peace it was
October 2015 and the peace was done it
was go time it was ready I could put it
out there it had become very real for me
all of a sudden was I really going to do
this was like going to share my
innermost feelings with the entire world
to see in this video I was anxious what
would my friends think my Jewish friends
what would my non-jewish friends think
what would my professional colleagues
think my strangers what would they think
and there was something else I was
scared I was really scared look
anti-semitism is a very real thing
physically but also online there’s a lot
of hatred and hostility did I really
want to take that heat did I want my
friends to take that heat but then I
considered maybe I should do this
anonymously but I’m that Jew how can I
why time that you create I’m that you do
everything that I’m doing and put it out
an honor of city how can I not put my
name on it
I didn’t want to hide it so I talked to
my wife because we realized what this is
a family decision it might affect us and
I decided with my wife that I would put
my name on it so I sat down that evening
and I wrote a piece of text to accompany
the video that I would put out there and
this is what it said my name is a tan
chat ayat and I’m that Jew lest any Jew
forgets because of all the violence
directed at us the hatred the incitement
to harm and kill the vile words the
knives the rocks the deafening silence
of the world that we all feel right now
we should be proud of our heritage
accomplishments and spirits just like
anyone else on this planet
rise up speak up and keep your chins up
we’ll get through this because we love
life and we’re strong and we’re smart
and we’re funny and were beautiful and
were hardworking and so much more
we’re okay in fact we’re more than okay
we rock and I hit published and there
was life all of a sudden I wrote to a
couple of friends look at what I did
maybe you’ll share it ten shares trainee
shows 50 shares 100 shares within a
couple of hours a thousand shares 5,000
shares I wasn’t expecting it to spread
like that I wasn’t it expecting it to
spread so quickly I wasn’t expecting to
friends of mine to say hey I’m seeing
people that you don’t even know posting
this on their wall I went to bed that
night I woke up after on three hours
sleep I’ll admit I woke up in the
morning 50,000 views I had breakfast
with my family and I’ll never forget
this tree we sat around and I told my
family what what was going on and my
sister took out her phone and she just
burst into tears very moving and you can
see I’m moved
right now but that’s okay a hundred
thousand five hundred thousand I watched
in complete shock as Jews and non-jews
alike started sharing it on Facebook and
in doing so they were putting their name
on it it was reposted on different
platforms I was being called by the
media radio television online news
articles complete strangers were writing
to me and asking if they could translate
the narrative into different languages
which eventually they were into ten
different languages I posted it on
YouTube as well 1 million 2 million and
on Facebook 1 million 2 million millions
of people were seeing this it was a
world wind a few days completely
emotional and all-consuming I was blown
away and stunned
after a couple of days I sat down in my
study I closed the door and I was
finally able to sit down and read the
thousands upon thousands upon thousands
of comments that people had written
comments like you finally put into words
what every Jew around the globe has been
feeling thanks for giving me a voice I’m
that Jew and I live in Israel your video
has given so many of us strength in
these frightening times well done my
like I said thousands of comments mostly
full of love i sat there and I cried my
eyes out all alone because it had
resonated with so many people through my
words they had felt something we’d made
a connection somehow what I made was
something people had really wanted to
say to and while I’m flattered I’m not a
hero I didn’t set out to be a
spokesperson for the Jewish people
yes I’m juris but my identity is made up
of many different things
I’m also that writer that photographer
and that dad that husband that
entrepreneur that music lover that
prints lover I simply created something
that made Jewish people feel something
that I felt pride I wanted to speak up
and proclaim I’m that Jew because it was
my truth that no one could take away
from me it was my statement and no one
could argue with my statement this is
what I am and it felt good to say a loud
and proud with the good intentions
without fear without shame and certainly
without any apologies and I wish that
for everyone for everyone whether you’re
discriminated against for being a woman
or a person of color who’s simply
fighting for equality or someone whose
sexual orientation is rejected or denied
however you can to own your truth
look months after Charlie Hebdo and the
kosher supermarket tragedy that same
Jewish friend wrote to me and she said
hae-sun since it happened I’ve come to
understand we’re not alone in our
struggle for survival and dignity I’ve
met so many people here who have shared
with me their fear saying who they are
their religion their heritage their race
so many with my film it felt so
liberating to be able to share openly
something that important to me and then
to feel that love come right back from
the Jewish community but not only from
the Jewish community because in a way
aren’t we all that you aren’t we all
that Christian aren’t we all that Muslim
aren’t we all that person of color that
minority that nationality aren’t we all
just people who are different but the
same but different but the same I can’t
wait for the day where we all openly
celebrate that diversity and that beauty
of who we are and what makes each and
every one of us unique because it feels
so good to be able to proudly celebrate
who you are and I hope that whoever you
are you never give up on that thank you [Applause]
January 2015 and two radical Islamic
terrorists in Paris stormed the Charlie
Hebdo satirical magazine headquarters
because they’re offended at depictions
of their Prophet Muhammad that the
publication had put out and they
brutally Massacre 12 people and they
kill these people in cold blood and they
injure 11 more the whole world was
shocked it was horrific absolutely
horrific in two days later another two
terrorists walked into a kosher
supermarket again in Paris and took
everyone there hostage before killing
for Jewish shoppers who had simply gone
out that morning to buy groceries for
their families senseless murder and
horrifying as well I watched all of this
tragedy unfold from a great distance
from my home in Tel Aviv in Israel and
immediately I thought of some family
there and one friend in particular a
good friend a dear friend who had
actually introduced me to my wife and
this friend had lived in Israel and
recently moved to Paris and so I got in
touch with her to see how she was doing
and when I connected with her she said
that she was okay she was shocked and
she was scared and it was very close and
personal this experience with her
because her father-in-law and her
brother-in-law had actually been at that
very same supermarket that morning there
was one other thing that she said that
really upset me it was very difficult
for me to hear and that was that since
moving from Paris from Israel to Paris
she had never really expressed that she
was Jewish or even that she had been to
Israel let alone lived in Israel and
this upset me and I could relate being
Jewish and having lived in different
countries about how difficult it is
sometimes to bring it up for example
when I was a child growing up in Hong
Kong and I had a very happy child in
Hong Kong but
it would be punctuated by things that
didn’t make me so happy like that time
when a little boy in school for some
reason held up his hand in the Nazi
salute put his two fingers under his
nose and started marching around saying
Heil Hitler
while my friends kind of like laughed I
never understood why or flash war – when
I was a young schoolboy in London
wearing my blazer with the Jewish Ten
Commandments on my blazer pocket out of
nowhere a group of other school boys
jumped me saying get that you get that
Jew I got away unscathed physically at
least
and sometimes then as an adult as well
sometimes subtle sometimes not so subtle
incidents like that so sure I could
relate to her sense of discomfort and I
could relate to her fear but it bothered
me and so after speaking to her I felt
like I wanted to do what I usually do
when I’m sad or frustrated being a
writer I I would sit down and write and
I wanted to write something in
solidarity with her to show her that she
wasn’t alone and so I stared at the
blank screen and I wrote in three words
came up there quite simple I’m that Jew
and I looked at those words like who’s
that you what is that gee what does that
even mean that’s such a three simple
words but such a big statement and they
really challenged me and the only way I
could answer I guess was to continue
writing and so I wrote I’m not always
writing to that footnote citing to that
academic Jew that scholarship that
thinking to that let me tell you
something to work a Jew white-collar Jew
that tend the flock and herded you that
arrogant you that humbled you that
whatever Jew I’m in the mood to be Jew
just like you that oh yes I’m just
getting started Jew this do that Jew the
word started pouring out of me and I was
writing them to her but I was writing
them to me I was writing them to my
Jewish community I was writing them to
anyone who would listen I was writing
these words and as they came out it felt
like
they were coming from deep within my
soul like it was something that I’d
wanted to say my entire life but I just
couldn’t a weight was being lifted off
my chest
I was flushing the negative stereotype
of the Jew the one that everyone
seemingly knew down the toilet and
replacing it with my own narrative my
true narrative my narrative I felt it
and it was empowering and I wrote and
continued to write until I finished it
when I finished it I didn’t really edit
it much it just it felt good to me it
felt like it was what it needed to be
and I posted it on a blog and people
started liking it people started sharing
it and they started commenting on it and
there was one particular comment that
stood out I’m that so nice to know I’m
not the only one who feels this way too
it’s like whoa this complete stranger
resonated with her she felt it somehow
I’d connected with her and right then
and there being a creative director of a
branding agency I realized that this
narrative that I’d created lends itself
perfectly to a video and I knew that it
needed to be a video and the concept was
simple relatively I pair every Jewish
characteristic or personality with a
real Jewish person and there’d be some
other references to for example Albert
Einstein would be that wild hair genius
Jew Steven Spielberg that proud of being
Jewish Jew Jerry Seinfeld not that
there’s anything wrong with that Jew
an Amy Winehouse that damn I’m gone too
soon jus then the list went on I
recruited my incredibly talented nephew
who was an editor and director Adam and
a close friend of mine Dana in the
States and a few other really creative
friends close friends and I worked with
them and we worked for months tirelessly
stitching these personalities and people
together with lots and lots of editing
and decisions to make and after a few
months we eventually got there and when
I showed the work-in-progress to some
close friends and family I let them take
a look at it and they were like it’s
great but it’s on this thing is six
minutes long you crazy no one’s gonna
sit through this no one’s gonna watch
six minutes of this you have to shorten
it and I had a problem with that
I really had a deep problem with that
because stereotypes and the jura
stereotype usually boils down to one or
two things they’re not usually positive
things and here was a chance for me to
show depth and to show breadth and to
show humor and seriousness and drama and
everything that I felt that we had I
didn’t want to show that one Jew that we
are I wanted to show all of what we are
and for it to be as long as it needed to
be and that number six had some
relevance because of the Holocaust
there’s so much anti-semitism out there
there was then there is now in addition
to helping people potentially feel good
about themselves publicly maybe this
could help fight that stereotype so I
said screw it and it stayed at six
minutes long I was practically done I
was 97% there and suddenly I hit a wall
it was such an emotional experience it
took so much out of me that I just
couldn’t complete it I was waiting for
that inspiration to enable me to close
this process to get this thing out there
and I stayed stuck for another few
months and it was incredibly frustrating
and then suddenly in October at the
beginning of October 2015 in Israel we
were hit with a new wave of terrorism
Cillian terrorists were knifing stabbing
innocent people in the back wherever
they were in a movie line in a shopping
centre random stabbings and as this was
happening every day for weeks on end we
were all so frustrated and sad and I
became possessed I realized that I need
to do this now and within 48 hours like
a madman I worked I didn’t sleep and I
managed to close the peace it was
October 2015 and the peace was done it
was go time it was ready I could put it
out there it had become very real for me
all of a sudden was I really going to do
this was like going to share my
innermost feelings with the entire world
to see in this video I was anxious what
would my friends think my Jewish friends
what would my non-jewish friends think
what would my professional colleagues
think my strangers what would they think
and there was something else I was
scared I was really scared look
anti-semitism is a very real thing
physically but also online there’s a lot
of hatred and hostility did I really
want to take that heat did I want my
friends to take that heat but then I
considered maybe I should do this
anonymously but I’m that Jew how can I
why time that you create I’m that you do
everything that I’m doing and put it out
an honor of city how can I not put my
name on it
I didn’t want to hide it so I talked to
my wife because we realized what this is
a family decision it might affect us and
I decided with my wife that I would put
my name on it so I sat down that evening
and I wrote a piece of text to accompany
the video that I would put out there and
this is what it said my name is a tan
chat ayat and I’m that Jew lest any Jew
forgets because of all the violence
directed at us the hatred the incitement
to harm and kill the vile words the
knives the rocks the deafening silence
of the world that we all feel right now
we should be proud of our heritage
accomplishments and spirits just like
anyone else on this planet
rise up speak up and keep your chins up
we’ll get through this because we love
life and we’re strong and we’re smart
and we’re funny and were beautiful and
were hardworking and so much more
we’re okay in fact we’re more than okay
we rock and I hit published and there
was life all of a sudden I wrote to a
couple of friends look at what I did
maybe you’ll share it ten shares trainee
shows 50 shares 100 shares within a
couple of hours a thousand shares 5,000
shares I wasn’t expecting it to spread
like that I wasn’t it expecting it to
spread so quickly I wasn’t expecting to
friends of mine to say hey I’m seeing
people that you don’t even know posting
this on their wall I went to bed that
night I woke up after on three hours
sleep I’ll admit I woke up in the
morning 50,000 views I had breakfast
with my family and I’ll never forget
this tree we sat around and I told my
family what what was going on and my
sister took out her phone and she just
burst into tears very moving and you can
see I’m moved
right now but that’s okay a hundred
thousand five hundred thousand I watched
in complete shock as Jews and non-jews
alike started sharing it on Facebook and
in doing so they were putting their name
on it it was reposted on different
platforms I was being called by the
media radio television online news
articles complete strangers were writing
to me and asking if they could translate
the narrative into different languages
which eventually they were into ten
different languages I posted it on
YouTube as well 1 million 2 million and
on Facebook 1 million 2 million millions
of people were seeing this it was a
world wind a few days completely
emotional and all-consuming I was blown
away and stunned
after a couple of days I sat down in my
study I closed the door and I was
finally able to sit down and read the
thousands upon thousands upon thousands
of comments that people had written
comments like you finally put into words
what every Jew around the globe has been
feeling thanks for giving me a voice I’m
that Jew and I live in Israel your video
has given so many of us strength in
these frightening times well done my
like I said thousands of comments mostly
full of love i sat there and I cried my
eyes out all alone because it had
resonated with so many people through my
words they had felt something we’d made
a connection somehow what I made was
something people had really wanted to
say to and while I’m flattered I’m not a
hero I didn’t set out to be a
spokesperson for the Jewish people
yes I’m juris but my identity is made up
of many different things
I’m also that writer that photographer
and that dad that husband that
entrepreneur that music lover that
prints lover I simply created something
that made Jewish people feel something
that I felt pride I wanted to speak up
and proclaim I’m that Jew because it was
my truth that no one could take away
from me it was my statement and no one
could argue with my statement this is
what I am and it felt good to say a loud
and proud with the good intentions
without fear without shame and certainly
without any apologies and I wish that
for everyone for everyone whether you’re
discriminated against for being a woman
or a person of color who’s simply
fighting for equality or someone whose
sexual orientation is rejected or denied
however you can to own your truth
look months after Charlie Hebdo and the
kosher supermarket tragedy that same
Jewish friend wrote to me and she said
hae-sun since it happened I’ve come to
understand we’re not alone in our
struggle for survival and dignity I’ve
met so many people here who have shared
with me their fear saying who they are
their religion their heritage their race
so many with my film it felt so
liberating to be able to share openly
something that important to me and then
to feel that love come right back from
the Jewish community but not only from
the Jewish community because in a way
aren’t we all that you aren’t we all
that Christian aren’t we all that Muslim
aren’t we all that person of color that
minority that nationality aren’t we all
just people who are different but the
same but different but the same I can’t
wait for the day where we all openly
celebrate that diversity and that beauty
of who we are and what makes each and
every one of us unique because it feels
so good to be able to proudly celebrate
who you are and I hope that whoever you
are you never give up on that thank you [Applause]
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