Every time the Israeli-Palastine conflict heats up, this is one of the most personally challenging parts. Israel ties itself so strongly to Judaism and tries to make its own political motivations inseparable from it. It makes it a very bizarre time to be a Jew, as you watch horrors unfold against oppressed peoples and civilians and some monster tells the world “This is for YOU! For YOUR benefit!”
It’s sickening. Very literally, physically so it is gut-wrenching. There comes some relief in seeing a similar reaction among many other community members. The older generation definitely has more ardent Zionists, but at least the youth and younger adults seem to be turning away from this and seeing the horrors for what they are.
Another oddity is that non-Jews turn to you as if you have some unique input on this. As if Israel sends out a poll to Jews across the globe on how it should act then follows those recommendations. I have less input on Israeli action than I do American politics as a US citizen. As if my disgust with political violence is something special because of my religion. How utterly bizarre it is to see someone say “Well Bernie saying this means something extra because he’s a Jew.” This kind of thinking is permitting Israeli propaganda to define Judaism and it’s vile.
It’s understood as bigotry when this is done to Muslim representatives in Congress, but not when Israel commits horrors.
Every time the Israeli-Palastine conflict heats up, this is one of the most personally challenging parts. Israel ties itself so strongly to Judaism and tries to make its own political motivations inseparable from it. It makes it a very bizarre time to be a Jew, as you watch horrors unfold against oppressed peoples and civilians and some monster tells the world “This is for YOU! For YOUR benefit!”
It’s sickening. Very literally, physically so it is gut-wrenching. There comes some relief in seeing a similar reaction among many other community members. The older generation definitely has more ardent Zionists, but at least the youth and younger adults seem to be turning away from this and seeing the horrors for what they are.
Another oddity is that non-Jews turn to you as if you have some unique input on this. As if Israel sends out a poll to Jews across the globe on how it should act then follows those recommendations. I have less input on Israeli action than I do American politics as a US citizen. As if my disgust with political violence is something special because of my religion. How utterly bizarre it is to see someone say “Well Bernie saying this means something extra because he’s a Jew.” This kind of thinking is permitting Israeli propaganda to define Judaism and it’s vile.
It’s understood as bigotry when this is done to Muslim representatives in Congress, but not when Israel commits horrors.
It’s all just wildly taxing.