Opinion The Gaza War Opened a Moral Chasm Between American Jews and Israel

[PufPuf23]

This is a moment of reckoning for many American Jews, whose institutions are either paralyzed or morally compromised in the face of the mass killing in Gaza. So what are the options for U.S. Jews who refuse to defend the indefensible, but won't abandon Israel either? (subtitle)

After two years of horror and devastation, we are living in a new reality, one that offers a glimmer of relief, still deeply shadowed by grief. Since October 7, 2023, we've seen death in Gaza and southern Israel on an unimaginable scale. Hamas' terror attack killed more than 1,200 people and took hundreds hostage. The Israeli response reduced most of Gaza to rubble: tens of thousands killed, families displaced, man-made famine, civilians shot while trying to get food, journalists and medics shelled while doing their jobs.

And even now, as the guns fall silent, the wounds – physical, moral, and political – run unimaginably deep.

For many American Jews, this is also a moment of reckoning. For millions, Israel has long been central to identity – but so has liberalism. And as liberals, American Jews have been horrified by Israel's extremist, ultra-nationalist turn. A Washington Post poll shows that 61 percent of American Jews say Israel has committed war crimes. A shocking 4 in 10 say Israel is guilty of genocide against Palestinians.

But perhaps more to the point: liberal American Jews are stunned that so many Israelis, and too many of their own institutions, are willing to justify the catastrophic destruction of Gaza and mass killing that took place there.

https://archive.ph/hYTT3#selection-675.0-707.227

[Aussie105]

1. It's a moral dilemma for Jews across the world.

And for supporters of Israel.
I used to be one.

You can turn a blind eye, or say Israel is justified.
Or just believe the violence has nothing to do with you, as long as that violence doesn't impact you personally just because you live elsewhere.

The Bondi Beach shootings here in Australia has been met with anguish and outrage, and condemnation, and rightly so.
Mixed with surprise that the violence came over here.
Random violence against civilians suddenly stopped being an abstract concept.

A relevant quote from the web:
"The quote "an eye for an eye will leave the whole world blind" is often attributed to Mahatma Gandhi, emphasizing the futility of revenge and the importance of non-violence."