Scooter Braun, the businessman and music producer who has managed industry megastars such as Justin Bieber, Ariana Grande and Demi Lovato, shared a story and post with his 3.7 million Instagram followers on Saturday in which he spoke at length and candidly about his identity as a Jew and rising anti-Semitism.
"I'm Jewish, and even when you hate me, I love you," he began. "Because I'm proud of who I am, your hatred won't define me, it never defined me. I love you despite the hatred because that's who we are. We were chosen to love in the face of hatred. When one of our children dies, we will mourn, and when one of your children dies, we will mourn as well. No child deserves to die because of war between people.
"I see the world becoming something beyond conflict. When we feel the call not only for the destruction of our homeland but for our existence in the entire world, we must not be afraid. We have to remember and say to ourselves: 'I am a Jew, I am proud and I will never be afraid again,' and no rhetoric of hatred by you or anyone else will change that," he concluded.
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In an accompanying text, Brown went on to share his feelings, writing: "When I see people being frightened, people being attacked, people barricaded in libraries and restaurants, people being attacked in their homes and holy places. People who hide their chains, take off their mezuzahs, I can only think of my grandparents," Brown shared his family's personal story. "They survived Auschwitz and Dachau [concentration camps]. I promised them I wouldn't be afraid anymore. Let's please remember not to be afraid. Whatever your views, let's all agree that anti-Semitism and Islamophobia have no place in our society."
"If you're reading the text here as Jews, Muslims, Christians or whatever you choose, just don't choose hatred. I'm Jewish, and even when you hate me, I love you."
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