Looking for Home as a Jew in the Left
We must continue to build movements for justice that affirm everyone's humanity
I can’t remember another time in my life where I’ve felt like this. Maybe the Black Lives Matter protests of 2020. But Israel’s war on Palestine following October 7th has felt different because my Jewish community is involved in a different way.
In the past three weeks, I have seen a lot of upsetting content on social media from people I care about. I have seen posts that affirm the Hamas attacks as an act of resistance and posts that cast doubt on the death toll of October 7th. I have also seen posts downplaying the consequences of Israel’s actions and conflating Hamas with the Palestinian people. When I post content in support of the ceasefire, I have gotten supportive responses and also angry ones. Some in my Jewish community think I’m naive, and some think I’m unconcerned about the hostages.
This sounds like both-sidesism, and maybe it is. Perhaps I’ve been guilty of denouncing both-sides thinking in the past when it really was a search for nuance. But I don’t mean to equate the larger movement for Palestinian liberation with the pro-Israel voices. I do not see “two sides” in terms of the power differential between Israel and Palestine, but I am seeing harmful language from both anti-Zionists and Zionists. I understand it to be coming from people who are angry, sad, scared and just as fallible as I am.
If I did not have Jewish friends who were also fighting for a ceasefire as part of the Jewish peace movement led by Jewish Voices for Peace and If Not Now, I don’t know what I would do. Even with friends modeling unapologetic solidarity online, checking in on me, and inviting me to protests, this has felt like a lonely time.
On the one hand, I feel very disconnected from the Jewish community that was my spiritual and communal home for much of my life. Many progressive Jews seem to be allowing fear of Hamas to justify and excuse Israel’s blatantly genocidal actions. I believe that some progressive Jews are adopting a dangerous pro-Israel defensive posture based on some rhetoric they are seeing from a small number of pro-Palestinian voices.
I understand that reaction. I also feel uncomfortable with what I see as a lack of understanding of anti-Semitism in some corners of the left. I feel like in an effort to rebut the conflation of anti-Zionism and anti-Semitism, leftist Jews are not allowed to call out legitimate instances when anti-Zionism does veer into anti-Semitism. And I don’t really have the energy to maintain my vigilance. But at this point, we don’t have much of a choice. We, as Jews, are being forced to defend our own humanity while also advocating for the humanity of Palestinians.
At this time, I am very grateful for the work done by Jews for Racial and Economic Justice (JFREEJ) and others to expand the understanding of anti-Semitism within the left. The past weeks have shown me that there is still a long way to go, but I also know that we are in a stronger position than we might otherwise be because of the organizing and relationship-building done by JFREJ.
Saturday night, I attended a havdalah gathering for members of JFREJ in Brooklyn. During a discussion, someone shared that they felt they were witnessing a collective inability to hold complex, nuanced ideas. It made them feel sad and alone. I knew that feeling, and hearing it articulated aloud made me feel less alone.
There are 1,400 Israelis who should be alive right now. There are more than 8,000 Palestinians who should be alive right now. Anti-Semitism is on the rise. Islamophobia is on the rise. All four of these facts can coexist. But it is hard to find a space, particularly online, that allows for complexity over binary thinking.
When I consider this, I feel furious. I am angry at social media companies, which are designed to distract and divide us. I am angry at Christian hegemony, Western imperialism, and weapons manufacturers. These are powerful forces that seem to hide in the background, cheering on this war while Jews and Palestinians are pitted against each other and ourselves.
I am grateful to be in community with people who share my commitment to safety and freedom for all people. I feel sad for all of us who feel like we’re being asked to silence parts of our humanity and pick a side.
I am heartened to know I am a part of a long Jewish tradition that embraces nuance as well as the urgency to act.
Grace Paley said, “The only recognizable feature of hope is action.”
Rabbi Tarfon is quoted in Pirkei Avot as saying, “You are not obligated to complete the work, but neither are you free to desist from it.”
Pirkei Avot also famously quotes Rabbi Hillel as teaching, “If I am not for me, who will be for me? And when I am for myself alone, what am I? And if not now, then when?”
Judaism teaches that none of us should have to abandon ourselves to show up for others. And none of us are free until all of us are free. May we all have access to community that affirms these teachings.
Other Recent Writing
“The Sydney Opera House Opens” History Daily
Other Recommendations for Reading/Listening/Watching
AIPAC Isn’t the Whole Story by Jonah Boyarin, Jewish Currents