Opinion The Gaza War Opened a Moral Chasm Between American Jews and Israel

[PufPuf23]

This is a moment of reckoning for many American Jews, whose institutions are either paralyzed or morally compromised in the face of the mass killing in Gaza. So what are the options for U.S. Jews who refuse to defend the indefensible, but won't abandon Israel either? (subtitle)

After two years of horror and devastation, we are living in a new reality, one that offers a glimmer of relief, still deeply shadowed by grief. Since October 7, 2023, we've seen death in Gaza and southern Israel on an unimaginable scale. Hamas' terror attack killed more than 1,200 people and took hundreds hostage. The Israeli response reduced most of Gaza to rubble: tens of thousands killed, families displaced, man-made famine, civilians shot while trying to get food, journalists and medics shelled while doing their jobs.

And even now, as the guns fall silent, the wounds – physical, moral, and political – run unimaginably deep.

For many American Jews, this is also a moment of reckoning. For millions, Israel has long been central to identity – but so has liberalism. And as liberals, American Jews have been horrified by Israel's extremist, ultra-nationalist turn. A Washington Post poll shows that 61 percent of American Jews say Israel has committed war crimes. A shocking 4 in 10 say Israel is guilty of genocide against Palestinians.

But perhaps more to the point: liberal American Jews are stunned that so many Israelis, and too many of their own institutions, are willing to justify the catastrophic destruction of Gaza and mass killing that took place there.

https://archive.ph/hYTT3#selection-675.0-707.227