Tag Archives: human rights

Rachel Goldberg-Polin teaches: “There is a time to sob and there is a time to dance, and we have to do both right now.”

Leave a reply

Trying to share Hersh’s mom’s words (above) everywhere I can, AND I wrote this list back in October 14, 2015. I think I had written and said different versions of this list many times over the course of many years. Here it is on my blog now.

I can’t believe I have to say this, but here we go:

Not all Arabs are Muslim.

Not all Muslims are Arab.

Not all Americans are Christian.

Not all Israelis are Jewish.

Not all Israelis agree with every policy of the Israeli government or the Israeli police force. [See some coverage of recent Israeli protests here: https://www.972mag.com/israel-hostage-protest-movement-government/]

I can support Israel, call myself a Zionist, and still disagree with things that happen in Israel.

I can love Israel and fear for Israelis’ safety, and still think critically about how they protect themselves from terrorism.

I can love Israel and my Israeli friends and family and simultaneously care about Palestinian people and people who live in Gaza and anyone who HAMAS victimizes anywhere. NB: the fierce women of Iraq: https://www.jpost.com/j-spot/article-765306!

If you are reading this post and you are surprised, please go read more about the situation. Maybe try +972 Magazine or ALBI. Our buddies at NPR and the New York Times don’t always present all sides of the story – partially because the story is 2,000 years old and because there are not only two sides to this story.

If you are surprised that I am posting this, please know that I don’t want to have to, but every once in a while, I am surprised and disappointed by how ignorant/naive/hateful some smart people are. (Sorry for the run-on sentence.)

FYI: If you are inspired to write a comment about how terrible I am or how I’ve “learned the wrong lesson from October 7, 2023,” please save your time/energy. I’m not going to read it. Here’s a quarter. Call someone who wants to hear from you.

I don’t like talking politics on Facebook.

Leave a reply

But I do want to share my support for BOTH Israelis and Palestinians.

From May 14, 2021:

I am a Zionist.

I also know that the Israeli government and the Jerusalem police are NOT perfect.

I also believe that all of the Israeli people AND all of the Palestinian people deserve safety, freedom, independence, etc.

For me, Zionism means I believe Israel is a legal, vital, contributing part of the global community.

4a. I don’t believe Israel is perfect, but I love her anyway, which is similar to how I feel about the imperfect, racist, sexist, classist USA – the country who took in my two of my grandparents when they escaped from Poland/Russia – and yet still pisses me off almost every day.

4b. I don’t agree with most of the Israeli government and the Jerusalem police, BUT I LOVE my Israeli friends/family. I love Israeli art, food, technology, reproductive freedom, and socialized medicine. I am grateful that there has been a tiny, welcoming place on earth for Jewish refugees from the FSU, Iraq, Ethiopia, and more.

4c. For Jews, loyalty to ANY country is complicated since most countries have one or two events in their history where they treated Jews like garbage and/or tried to kill us. So, nationalism and patriotism are complicated for us.

If you want to unfollow/unfriend me because of any of these above points, please go ahead. I can take it.If you want to discuss Zionism more, that’s cool, but it has to wait until Sunday because I’m going to try to observe shabbat a bit.Shabbat Shalom, Jummah Mubarak, and all the prayers for peace, health, safety, and justice for ALL.

From May 18, 2021;

While a lot of American self-proclaimed human rights activists are busy telling me how to feel about Israelis and Palestinians, the country where we vote is busy dismantling reproductive freedoms, deeming trans rights/health care “child abuse,” and buttressing voter suppression.

I’d prefer that we all be allowed to continue to express our own opinions and feel our own feelings while we 1) respect each other and 2) fight for justice for all in the country where our votes and voices are supposed to matter……….

A discussion is a respectful exchange of ideas. Trying to make someone change their opinion to yours is not an invitation to a discussion. It is an invitation to a conversion.

Side Note – the next FB “friend” who comes to this page to tell me my opinion is wrong or “not liberal” will be treated just like anyone else who tries to silence me. If you want to judge me, that’s fine – but not in the guise of “discussion.”

Feel free to unfriend/unfollow. I promise you – I can take it.