The horrific act of violence in Pittsburgh yesterday was another of too many examples of the hate and delusion that are running rampant in the US today.
At the risk of soapboxing in a delicate moment, I want to address the issue of Palestine advocacy and anti-Semitism head-on, because American Jews need every ally they can get right now.
The Jewish community has enough genuine enemies - Palestine advocates are not among them (with a few exceptions, sadly). We stand with Jewish Americans in alarm and mourning. We grieve with them for the loss in their community and the deep uneasiness they must be feeling.
There are Palestinians in Palestine/Israel who claim hatred for Jews, and who have attacked innocent Israeli Jews, and Palestinian leaders who have praised such actions. They simplistically and irrationally see "the Jewish State" and "Jews" as one in the same, as the enemy. Their hostility is misguided. They see their situation through the clouded lens of oppression.
We who are at a distance from Palestinian pain can not feel what they feel, but we can see that the real enemy is injustice. We recognize that the resolution lies not in causing more pain, but in negotiation, justice, and some kind of reconciliation.
Palestine advocates - including many Jewish individuals and organizations - are engaged in the effort to bring that about. We are not in any way driven by anti-Semitism or any other kind of hate. Those of us who are non-Jewish don't know firsthand the burden of Jewish history, but we recognize that it is a constant companion.
We grieve with Pittsburgh and denounce violence. We only want to see real justice and restoration - among all people.
That's all for today. I only hope for healing.
Keep the people of Palestine - and the American Jewish community - in your thoughts and prayers, and let's all stand against all injustice.
