Just like I would love to watch black people debate the topic of dysfunctional black communities, I like to see Jewish people take on other Jewish people. We can't say anything or we are called anti semetic. Can't say that about these Jews
But as many Jews rally behind the Israeli government’s military response, a vocal and growing minority is speaking out — often in conflict with their close friends and family. They’re campaigning for a cease-fire and diplomatic efforts to save the lives of hostages currently held in Gaza, as well as the more than 2 million innocent civilians in the tiny territory.
“As a rabbi, it feels very painful to hold the grief of so many of the people I care for who are in mourning, and at the same time, I have so much grief for the ways this violence, this atrocity, is now being enacted in my name,” Grossman said. “But on an even deeper level, honestly, just as a parent, as a mom, I just feel so heartbroken. For me, that’s where the clarity and the desire for a cease-fire comes from.”
Across the country, such conversations are happening at Jewish dinner tables every day. Some turn out worse than others: One 21-year-old
told NPR their father kicked them out of a Shabbat dinner after they’d attended a protest where demonstrators called for a cease-fire: “He was like, ‘You are not welcome at this dinner table.’”
At the same time, he added, “A lot of us on the Jewish left feel this sense of urgency that, right now, we need to wake up our community to stop the unfolding atrocity in Gaza, and we feel this urgency, obviously, to try to get our community to oppose Israel’s attack.”
“The danger with a fear of extinction is that all options are on the table, which is why the genocide of Palestinians is such a terrifying prospect right now,” said Valley, who was among those arrested at the Grand Central Terminal sit-in.
What would he say to those eager to back Israel’s response in the name of Jewish preservation?
Valley paused, finding the words: “We will not find liberation through the elimination of another people.”
Israeli political leaders have for years
elevated the rights of Jewish Israelis over those of others,
attempted to weaken the country’s judiciary, and
violently established settlements in the West Bank, all while imposing a blockade on Gaza. Now, after the Hamas attack, the situation appears close to spiraling out of control.
Prominent Israelis have
called for mass killing in Gaza. On Saturday, a mob attempted to break into a college dormitory housing Arab-Israelis in the city of Netanya, then shouted “death to Arabs” outside,
forcing an evacuation. Dozens of Israelis have been
detained for pro-Palestinian social media posts, and Israel Police chief Yaakov Shabtai warned that he would bus people protesting in support of Palestine into Gaza. An Arab-Jewish conference focused on “our partnership in the struggle for justice and against war” was
canceled after police warned of “various consequences.” Israel Frey, an orthodox Jewish Israeli journalist, was
forced into hiding after he expressed empathy for Palestinians under Israeli attack. In the West Bank, fundamentalist Jewish settlers have accelerated
violent land grabs and an already historic number of
killings.
In the United States, there have been
widespread censorship efforts aimed at pro-Palestinian voices, and an
increase in Islamophobic incidents, including harassment and violence. In Chicago, 6-year-old Wadea Al-Fayoume was killed by his landlord in what authorities say was
an anti-Muslim hate crime.
As the death toll rises in Gaza, many American Jews are speaking out — often in conflict with friends and family.
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It goes on
