Rachel SJ, a nonbinary Jewish actor with a lot to say (and sing). Courtesy of Rachel Stamler-Jonas.“We are always learning.”
That quote is listed at the top of Rachel Stamler-Jonas (SJ)’s TikTok profile, currently followed by over 69,000 people. I just love it. Rachel is Jewish and nonbinary and uses they/she pronouns. They are also an actor, singer, writer, director, drag performer, and even a puppeteer. Their videos are entertaining and delightful to watch among the hundreds of thousands of endless other TikTok videos that have enveloped our phones since the creation of this app. They want us to smile, but more importantly, they want us to know that we are always learning.
Learning what, you may ask? Well, as a Jew and nonbinary, Rachel has to unfortunately battle two discriminations: antisemitism and discrimination against nonbinary. It’s heartbreaking to think that we the people, no matter how we identify ourselves as, continue to live in a world with a lot of hate, a world where there has ironically been so much progress throughout the years. Rachel isn’t here to fight though. They’re not here to use a digital platform to spout equally angry, hate-filled outbursts at antisemitic and homophobic users. There’s no sarcasm or mean-spirited backlash from their end because Rachel knows better. It doesn’t help to fight hate with hate. They just want us to know that the times are still changing, and it’s important that we learn these things.
In particular, the topics we need to learn about more are trans rights, people who identify as nonbinary, gay, LGBTQ+A, etc. you name it. Don’t get me wrong, of course. Antisemitism awareness is just as important, and I applaud Rachel and so many other Jewish TikTokers using their platforms to debunk these ridiculous fallacies surrounding Jews. In this case, however, I single out the topic of LGBTQ+A because the truth is that so many people still don’t understand it. Or even worse: they won’t believe it. Or even WORSE than worse: they don’t want to learn it…
“It’s Pride Month,” Rachel says while walking in one TikTok. “And somebody yelled [f slur] at me as I was walking down the street.”
They continue walking, nodding their head silently in disapproval and disappointment. Even more upsetting is a comment Rachel pastes onto the video. It reads:
“If it’s true that a lot of Jews are identify as “trans,” that’s horrifying!”
We want to pretend that this form of discrimination has disappeared, but it’s still here. It’s everywhere. What do I overhear every now and again from people?
“I just don’t get it. How can someone not identify as a man or woman?”
“How can someone be a ‘they?’ How?”
“But if you’re born a woman, how can you identify as a man?”
“But if you’re born a man, how can you identify as a woman?”
There are obviously hateful people, but then there are others who are genuinely curious. This is where Rachel comes in. This is someone who understands that it’s OK to not have the knowledge yet. I mean, were we taught about gay rights, trans rights, etc. in my high school days? Absolutely not. When did gay marriage become legal in the US? Only eight years ago. EIGHT YEARS AGO! It’s sad that it’s taken us this long, but there’s still time. We can all take the time to watch a video of Rachel’s where they talk about what being nonbinary really means. If we’re still unclear, we can watch another video. Rachel’s profile is an endless collage of educational, sometimes funny but also deep and important clips of them laying everything on the table. It’s OK if you don’t understand what being nonbinary means yet. All you have to do is take the time to try to understand it.
Now, I know I started off this post on a heavy note. Don’t worry. Rachel is not the most serious person you’ll ever see on TikTok. As a graduate from Northwestern University with a B.A. in Theatre, they are first and foremost an entertainer, both celebrating and instructing viewers about being Jewish and nonbinary. Their original works include The Little Merperson, a non-binary take that they directed, based on Hans Christian Andersen’s The Little Mermaid, and My Village Bells, a short film about a Yiddish playwright desperate for his work to get seen in a vanishing culture.
And let’s not forget about the music. On their TikTok, Rachel performs original songs in each of their videos. In one of her ingenious series, she rewrites Christmas songs that were written by Jews “as a Jew.” Jewish or not, we’ve all heard of “Let It Snow,” but have you heard of “Let It Glow?” There’s also her hit music video, “Passover Seder Song! (to the tune of Dayeinu),” where they…you guessed it: sing a Passover Seder song to the tune of “Dayeinu,” the Passover song of all Passover songs.
I know that in a lot of these Digital Media Spotlight posts, I’ve written about the bravery of so many Jewish digital content creators taking to their pages to shed light on antisemitism. It may sound redundant at this point, but it’s important that we keep this conversation going. It’s imperative that these individuals are acknowledged. They’re heroes! I know that might sound cheesy, but just look at what they’re doing to repair this world. Look at the backlash they receive – the disgustingly hateful comments – and their perseverance in building bridges between Jews and non-Jews. We need these people more than ever.
“[Online activism] has a really big role in changing people’s minds,” Rachel tells BBC in an interview from late 2020, a period when TikTok saw a huge uptick in Jewish content creators. “They [viewers] can sit with themselves and maybe start to forgive themselves for being that way and commit to changing.”
A change towards a kinder world is the objective here. Jews aren’t going anywhere and never will. Anyone who identifies as LGBTQ+A is not going anywhere and never will. We may not be able to persuade everyone to stop being hateful, but we can definitely try.
Learn more about Rachel SJ at RSJRachel.Wixsite.com.
Follow Rachel SJ on TikTok and Instagram.