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It’s not the Israel You Still Have in Your Head
A pleas to Jewish Americans still on the fence about Gaza
There were tens of thousands of German-Americans who were either outright Hitler-supporters or sympathizers, who held at least one giant Nuremberg-style rally in Madison Square Garden in 1939. One hopes that many were drifting away from such support after he invaded Poland, Czechoslovakia, France, Norway and the Benelux countries, but it is clear after December 11, 1941, when Hitler declared war on the United States, the shift in sentiment was overwhelming and immediate, as evidenced by this NYT article. (The Japanese not given the same leeway to denounce Japan — that was sheer racism.)
I understand the attachment of Jewish Americans to Israel — I grew up with it in suburban New York. It seems to me, though, that many Jewish-Americans are still clinging to their “summer I spent on a kibbutz” view of Israel, where they visited a beautiful country without ever venturing into the West Bank or Gaza, or ever hearing a positive reference to Palestinians, much less talking to any.
Unquestionably, the events of October 7 reinforced every single fear Israel and their supporter had about Palestinians. But as the campaign against Gaza has continued past any conceivable equitable punishment, into inflicting ten times, now heading…
