"From the very beginning, we all knew about the sexual crimes."
This. I have been saddened and sickened by the denial of these sexual crimes, it is both heartbreaking and enraging. I am especially disgusted by the feminist organizations who have chosen to remain silent, to turn a blind eye.
I'm heartsick about the whole thing. I'm not Jewish, but my husband is. I worry about how this affects my kids, who have different perspectives about their own identity. At my university, interestingly, there are no protests at all. It doesn't appear that all young people are focused on this issue--mainly the ones at elite privates and flagships.
I became convinced of the Palestinian case against Zionism during the 1982 bombings of Beirut, when Menachem Begin was in charge of Israel. I ended up reading Begin's autobiography, especially about his role in Irgun, and read how he admitted that he targeted civilian populations in Palestine to terrorize the locals in leaving their land around 1948. So I have never considered Zionism and Judaism exactly the same concepts. I also found letters that Einstein signed that showed he was aghast at Begin's Irgun party committing terrorism in Palestine. This is the basis of why people can say they support Judaism and the Jewish people, but cannot support Zionism, and why they would not consider this to be anti-Semitic, because Zionism is based on forcibly displacing Palestinians from their land. This displacement has gone on continually for the past 75 years--so when I hear about killing and terrorism and suicide bombers hurting Israeli civilians, I know for certain these are evil acts--but it becomes not surprising, since I have been hearing every day about Palestinians being killed, arrested, tortured and bombed for as long as I can remember.
An actual ongoing genocide is occurring in Gaza now, and our US tax dollars are funding it. The rhetoric coming from Israeli leaders is unacceptable, calling for extinction and killing of all Palestinians in Gaza, calling them animals and who all deserve to die. Doesn't your unlimited curiousity lead you to find out about these people? and there are many opportunities in New Jersey to meet Palestinians besides your hairdresser (and why was her family home destroyed?); there is an article in "The Free Press" (a link you provided) about a Gazan American who has a pharmacy in Paterson, NJ. https://www.thefp.com/p/so-much-of-my-beloved-gaza-is-gone.
I was in Syria when Assad's militias were attacking our neighborhood (after demonstrations opposing Assad's dictatorship were held). At the time in 2011 I thought, this is what Palestininans must feel like when Israel is bombing and terrorizing them. Both Assad and Netanyahu are using "war on terror" rhetoric--which just ends up killing many civilians and justifying the bombing by calling any political opponents "terrorists". There are some pro-Assad commentators who appear to side with Palestinians, but my test on writers is to see if they are both pro-Syria revolution (or anti-Assad) and anti-Zionist (such as Samar Yazbek, Yassin Al Haj Saleh, and Mary Scully).
It will be painful for some people to possibly have to revise their opinion of Israel and the methods of Zionism, which insists that certain lands that already have occupants belong to them (check current West Bank events). It will be painful to let go of that belief and have to live as equals in the land.
Zionism is a very particular way to practice Judaism which focuses on politics and nationhood. [or I would have said a SUBSET].
[and in this way you can be Zionist and humanist; Zionist and Muslim; Zionist and something else].
And, yes, just about any "homeland" would have other people be displaced.
I am pro-Syria revolution because I was pro-Arab Spring.
Living as equals is really important.
Devon Price gave a really great set of links to good books from all the players - and watchers - of not only this conflict - but the whole last ten thousand years.
And also the books and stories give ways to think about the future.
Ah, yes, when we put limits on our curiosity!
In Victoria, there are all sorts of opportunities to meet Palestinians and Israelis alike.
For example; the gentleman who fixed our shower heads is Iranian - he came to Australia some two years ago.
When you talked about the dehumanisation I thought of the Ladder of Prejudice. And genocide is very much at the top of that ladder.
"From the very beginning, we all knew about the sexual crimes."
This. I have been saddened and sickened by the denial of these sexual crimes, it is both heartbreaking and enraging. I am especially disgusted by the feminist organizations who have chosen to remain silent, to turn a blind eye.
They are slowly being shamed into saying something. It’s still shocking that they needed five weeks to article a response to these crimes.
And I’ve lost three subscribers because of this post.
See, THAT I do not understand. At all.
I'm heartsick about the whole thing. I'm not Jewish, but my husband is. I worry about how this affects my kids, who have different perspectives about their own identity. At my university, interestingly, there are no protests at all. It doesn't appear that all young people are focused on this issue--mainly the ones at elite privates and flagships.
And as Eriksen had said:
"The adolescent mind [and the young adult mind I would add] is an *ideological* mind".
Read this in Joseph P Lash's editing of the diaries of Helen Keller.
I am a pro-Palestinian reader here.
I became convinced of the Palestinian case against Zionism during the 1982 bombings of Beirut, when Menachem Begin was in charge of Israel. I ended up reading Begin's autobiography, especially about his role in Irgun, and read how he admitted that he targeted civilian populations in Palestine to terrorize the locals in leaving their land around 1948. So I have never considered Zionism and Judaism exactly the same concepts. I also found letters that Einstein signed that showed he was aghast at Begin's Irgun party committing terrorism in Palestine. This is the basis of why people can say they support Judaism and the Jewish people, but cannot support Zionism, and why they would not consider this to be anti-Semitic, because Zionism is based on forcibly displacing Palestinians from their land. This displacement has gone on continually for the past 75 years--so when I hear about killing and terrorism and suicide bombers hurting Israeli civilians, I know for certain these are evil acts--but it becomes not surprising, since I have been hearing every day about Palestinians being killed, arrested, tortured and bombed for as long as I can remember.
An actual ongoing genocide is occurring in Gaza now, and our US tax dollars are funding it. The rhetoric coming from Israeli leaders is unacceptable, calling for extinction and killing of all Palestinians in Gaza, calling them animals and who all deserve to die. Doesn't your unlimited curiousity lead you to find out about these people? and there are many opportunities in New Jersey to meet Palestinians besides your hairdresser (and why was her family home destroyed?); there is an article in "The Free Press" (a link you provided) about a Gazan American who has a pharmacy in Paterson, NJ. https://www.thefp.com/p/so-much-of-my-beloved-gaza-is-gone.
I was in Syria when Assad's militias were attacking our neighborhood (after demonstrations opposing Assad's dictatorship were held). At the time in 2011 I thought, this is what Palestininans must feel like when Israel is bombing and terrorizing them. Both Assad and Netanyahu are using "war on terror" rhetoric--which just ends up killing many civilians and justifying the bombing by calling any political opponents "terrorists". There are some pro-Assad commentators who appear to side with Palestinians, but my test on writers is to see if they are both pro-Syria revolution (or anti-Assad) and anti-Zionist (such as Samar Yazbek, Yassin Al Haj Saleh, and Mary Scully).
It will be painful for some people to possibly have to revise their opinion of Israel and the methods of Zionism, which insists that certain lands that already have occupants belong to them (check current West Bank events). It will be painful to let go of that belief and have to live as equals in the land.
Su:
Yes!
Zionism is a very particular way to practice Judaism which focuses on politics and nationhood. [or I would have said a SUBSET].
[and in this way you can be Zionist and humanist; Zionist and Muslim; Zionist and something else].
And, yes, just about any "homeland" would have other people be displaced.
I am pro-Syria revolution because I was pro-Arab Spring.
Living as equals is really important.
Devon Price gave a really great set of links to good books from all the players - and watchers - of not only this conflict - but the whole last ten thousand years.
And also the books and stories give ways to think about the future.
Ah, yes, when we put limits on our curiosity!
In Victoria, there are all sorts of opportunities to meet Palestinians and Israelis alike.
For example; the gentleman who fixed our shower heads is Iranian - he came to Australia some two years ago.
When you talked about the dehumanisation I thought of the Ladder of Prejudice. And genocide is very much at the top of that ladder.