I was deeply, perhaps naively, shocked at the responses from some Christian (and some non-Christian) friends to my previous essay. Yes, they said, the increase in antisemitic violence in our country is regrettable. But then they hastened to add that it’s also understanda
ble,
given what the Israelis are doing to the Palestinians. I could hear the subtext: We aren’t going to worry much about hatred against Jews, these friends seemed to be saying, because we empathize with the perpetrators’ anger. Maybe they weren’t saying it outright but the implication was there: The Jews have only themselves to blame.
When I mentioned the rabbi stabbed in Boston last month, one friend told me we must try to understand the feelings of downtrodden pro-Palestinians who are attacking Jews here and around the world. Feel with them their misery, their frustration, she said, quite sincerely.
In fact, I do feel their misery. I also feel the fear and anger of Jews under attack solely because they are Jewish.
Read the complete essay at the Times of Israel.
Photo by the Kincaidibles via Flickr (cc)
I was deeply, perhaps naively, shocked at the responses from some Christian (and some non-Christian) friends to my previous essay. Yes, they said, the increase in antisemitic violence in our country is regrettable. But then they hastened to add that it’s also understanda ble, given what the Israelis are doing to the Palestinians. I could hear the subtext: We aren’t going to worry much about hatred against Jews, these friends seemed to be saying, because we empathize with the perpetrators’ anger. Maybe they weren’t saying it outright but the implication was there: The Jews have only themselves to blame. When I mentioned the rabbi stabbed in Boston last month, one friend told me we must try to understand the feelings of downtrodden pro-Palestinians who are attacking Jews here and around the world. Feel with them their misery, their frustration, she said, quite sincerely.
In fact, I do feel their misery. I also feel the fear and anger of Jews under attack solely because they are Jewish.
Read the complete essay at the Times of Israel.
Photo by the Kincaidibles via Flickr (cc)
