I buckle my toddler into her car seat and drive her to our local Jewish Community Center in Denver. We wave to the security guard. I put away her backpack, hug her, and leave her in a building filled with the laughter of preschoolers, warmth of Jewish ritual, and constant awareness that Jewish spaces need armed guards.
That awareness got louder on June 1.
Thirty miles away in Boulder, a man threw Molotov cocktails at a peaceful group of Jews, many elderly, families, and children, on the Pearl Street Mall where I’ve spent countless hours. They were in a public space, holding signs to raise awareness about the hostages still in Gaza…