Throughout history, Jews have been at the forefront of various progressive movements, fighting for greater social justice on behalf of other minorities.
From the Roman destruction of Judea to the founding of modern Israel, we have been a minority everywhere. We thus understand all too well the importance of equal rights for all. We also know how easily those rights can be abrogated and how vigilant we have to be in defending them.
A one-sided narrative has taken hold there, one that places all the blame for the conflict on Israel and totally exonerates Hamas, which launches rockets at its own people and intentionally targets Israeli children while using its own as shields against Israeli retaliation.
Over the last few weeks, as Israel defended itself against 4000-plus rockets launched by Hamas, many of my progressive friends and colleagues have not shown up for me when I needed them most. Instead, I have been accused of supporting colonialism, ethnic cleansing and the killing of babies. Having spent years supporting my friends in their struggles, I now find myself alienated from them. But I will not apologize for my love and support for Israel. I will not apologize for my Zionism.
I was born and raised in America and live in New Jersey with my Israeli husband. I have family in Israel and serve as the North American COO of Masa Israel Journey, which brings young people from around the world to live and work in Israel on study, gap and intern programs. I have devoted my life to Israel, working for an organization that has provided an authentic, unmediated and challenging journey into Israeli society, culture, politics and history for 160,000 young people from more than 62 countries.
In my work and experience, I have noticed a difference between Jews and Israelis who have lived and worked in Israel for a significant amount of time and those who have not.
Those who do not apologize for Israel’s existence. They have the confidence to denounce antisemitism in all its forms, including anti-Zionism, the idea that Jews do not have the right of self-determination. When standing up for Israel, they know firsthand what a complex place it is, but this does not stop them from defending it.
At Masa, we encourage our fellows to use their lived experience in Israel to share their narrative from a viewpoint of what they know and see – especially when those speaking out on social media have less of an understanding or connection to the matter. “Eight in 10 US Jews say caring about Israel is an essential or important part of what being Jewish means to them,” according to a recent Pew poll. But, when voices arise calling for its destruction, as they have in America and elsewhere since the start of the recent conflict, too few American Jews are confident enough to come to Israel’s defense.
Israel has had an indigenous Jewish population since biblical times. But it has also been a haven for Jewish refugees from around the world, who have all too often had to flee there to escape discrimination and even death elsewhere. This continues to be the case today. With antisemitic attacks increasing in Europe and elsewhere (over 500% in some places since the conflict started), Jews need Israel as much as ever to guarantee a safe refuge if things continue to get worse.
One can be critical of a nation’s political leadership and government while unapologetically supporting its right to exist – one does not come at the expense of another. According to the International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance, “criticism of Israel similar to that leveled against any other country cannot be regarded as antisemitic.” But “denying the Jewish people their right to self-determination” and applying double standards to it “by requiring of it a behavior not expected or demanded of any other democratic nation,” are both examples of antisemitism.
Those of us in America who have spent a lot of time living and working in Israel too often stand alone when it comes to defending Israel in our communities. Our hearts are torn between our love for Israel and our pride in America, where we work hard translating and articulating that love to convince others to support Israel. Antisemitic slurs and assaults have followed closely on the heels of anti-Israeli rhetoric here these last few weeks. Many Jews who could not find their voice to speak up for Israel before have belatedly understood that anti-Zionism and antisemitism are the same. When they come for the Zionists, they come for us all.
The Jews who could not find their voices became the benchwarmers in a game the Masa fellows, Israelis and American Israelis were playing... except it was not a game. The stakes were and continue to be far higher.
I am a Jew. I love Israel. I support Israel as the internationally recognized homeland of the Jewish people. There is no Israel without Jews. And there will be no safety for Jews without Israel. No buts. No caveats. No disclaimers.