I am a woman, I am Jewish, I am an American, but my identity is that of a human being – and THAT makes me like everyone else. I will not silence my voice because of fears of alienation, judgement, misanthropic hatred, ignorance, or for some familial or religious bullying that collides with my conscience.
Just because we as a nation (Americans) have been willfully and purposely ignorant of what occupation means to people simply trying to exist, does not mean that I, a Jew, will blindly support a nation as it systematically decimates the only home those occupied people have ever known, and kill every man, woman, and child in its way.
I am disgusted and embarrassed to think that my being Jewish automatically requires me to stand by a government, run by a madman as he plays out his own personal genocide. Hamas is the enemy, not the Palestinian people. As a Jew, I can barely articulate the revulsion I have for the attack on October 7, because I do not understand how civilians being targeted, kidnapped, killed, raped, and brutalized is an acceptable act no matter what a government has done. Again, Hamas is the enemy. Terrorism is the enemy. I do not pretend to have a solution to eradicate an ideal that will continue to live on long after Israel wipes out an entire people. But neither will I allow being Jewish force me to stand with a country whose mission is something I believe to be barbaric. Nor can I claim justification for the unprovoked attack of October 7th, and the kidnapping, and brutalizing of Israeli civilians. The common denominator is the civilians. ALL of the civilians. For everyone with the mantra “I stand with Israel”, what end do you see? How do you justify rallying for the safety of one civilian over another? For everyone with the mantra “Free Palestine”, what can be done to undo the last 77 years? Is there even a hope of compromise for two peoples to allow each other to simply exist? Do our governments genuinely speak for us? All that I see and witness from the brave journalists sharing images in Gaza, that I cannot unsee, is human beings just like us trying to live their lives, raise and love their children and do so without being KILLED. Whether civilians be Jews, Muslims or Christians, being targeted should not, can not, be a part of this “conflict”. This should be a fairly uncomplicated expectation. As Americans, I now it’s ours. We are not the owners of that idea, and it is peace and freedom that should be the objective for all humanity, not just the ones whose political agenda lines up with yours. Main stream media is cherry-picking what you see – deciding for you what is right, what is just – all while attempting to steer your emotions and your loyalty. I believe in strength and a country defending its ideals, but wars are not clear-cut by boundaries on a map in today’s world. Hatred grows and sadly flourishes, sometimes in our own backyard. We must be conscious of our words and actions. We should acknowledge our blessings and do what we can for those in predicaments we could not fathom in our worst nightmare.
Do not turn a blind eye. Do not, for a moment, think this does not effect you. It does, and it will. When you accept that all religions share an emphasis on love and compassion, what is the justification for the kind of civilian massacre we are witnessing?
Just stop killing…
We all espouse words like “peace” in our New Year’s greetings. Think long and hard about where you stand with that word in 2024.
With every empathetic and compassionate bone in my body, I wish everyone a PEACEFUL New Year.
xoxo Red
Dealing With Fools 