#jewish dignity

[matan4il]

Every single time I hear someone referring to a Jewish person as ‘white’ another little piece of my soul dies.

As a non-American Jew, the first time I ever heard Jews being referred to as white was when I was a full grown adult watching an American reality show. I FOR REAL thought they were making that shit up in order to generate buzz and get people talking about the controversy! That’s how foreign the notion was to me. Imagine my shock and horror to discover that THIS IS A COMMON MISCONCEPTION IN THE UNITED STATES.

It’s the way that referring to Jews as ‘white’ ERASES white people’s antisemitism, it erases our persecution at the hands of white people, it erases our suffering, it erases the OTHERING that Jews had suffered for CENTURIES from actual white people.

Based on what the skin tone of some Jews in a few places might afford them SO LONG AS NO ONE KNOWS THEY’RE JEWISH.

If you have to hide your real identity in order to enjoy the privileges of being perceived as white, YOU’RE NOT WHITE (this is true for Jews just like it is true for other white-passing People of Color).

White passing is not the same as white.

WHITE PASSING IS NOT THE SAME AS WHITE.

Jews are NOT white. Not a single one of us. Not even the ones who can pass as white, let alone all of the Jews who can’t.

#jews #jew #jumblr #jr #jewish #jewish stuff #jewish history #jewish identity #antisemitism #frumblr #white passing #is not the same as white #jews of tumblr #jewish privilege #jews are not white #jewish dignity #jewish people #judaism #antisemites #resources

[gynecologistmsfrizzle]

Hmm I believe I remember learning a few years ago that when one is asked to acknowledge that they’re impacted subconsciously by systemic racism/sexism/homophobia etc, or is told that they’re behaving in a way that’s bigoted/harmful, “no I’m not” is the wrong answer. So I think some of you should get less excited about saying that when Jewish people tell you you’re being antisemitic.

#guess what. Your views on Israel and Palestine ARE in fact going to be influenced by the fact that one of those nations is Jewish. #Just as it’ll be influenced by the fact that one of those nations is majority Muslim. #Just as your feelings about police shootings will be influenced by the majority of victims being Black or Indigenous. #Just as your feelings about EVERYTHING will be impacted by the social forces that have shaped you and colour your perception. #Antisemitism actually DOES colour the words of people insisting that targeting Israeli civilians was a legitimate act of resistance. #Just as racism and Islamophobia colour the words of Israeli politicians and soldiers who insist that wiping out Gaza is a fair price to pay #for wiping out Hamas. #it has been absolutely staggering to see person after person on this site #casually assert that rules of war do not apply when the civilians they protect are Israeli #and refuse to consider even the SLIGHTEST possibility that the ease with which that assertion came to them #might have SOMETHING to do with an internalized belief that — say — #there is no such thing as a Jewish civilian? that all Jews are inherently loyal to other Jews above any loyalty to justice? #that all Jewish people wield a sort of inherent power that makes them less vulnerable and therefore acceptable targets? #Of course you’re antisemitic. Yes. You. I am too. We all are. We live in an antisemitic society. #And if you‘ll acknowledge that societal racism and sexism and homophobia inform your subconscious beliefs #and you’ll critically reflect on THOSE #but you won’t afford antisemitism the same dignity #I think that probably says something about something. #Just to be clear this actually isn’t a post that says anything about my stance on Israel and Palestine #because my stance on that is actually extremely simple— FTR it’s ’apartheid and war crimes and forced displacement are bad things’ #but this is about the internet’s RESPONSE #and the downright celebratory glee that I saw people have on oct 7th #and the fucking twisted excitement they’ve shown treating further Israeli war crimes like ammunition to justify it #and the simple truth that — while I’ll believe you MIGHT still have condoned it — #I do not believe any of you would have CELEBRATED the massacre of thousands of civilians in a period of minutes #if. those. civilians. had. not. been. Jews. #Rhi talks #palestine #antisemitism #Yeah and I’ll post this one too. Anon is still on. String me up.

[hebrewbyinbal]

🌟 Understanding the noun for Honor, Respect, and Dignity in Hebrew🌟

In the heart of Hebrew language lies the powerful concept of כָּבוֹד /ka-'vod/.

More than just a word, it's a guiding principle that encompasses honor, respect, and dignity.

It's about acknowledging the intrinsic worth and moral integrity of every individual 🌿

כָּבוֹד /ka-'vod/ represents the deep esteem we hold for others, recognizing their rights, values, and merits.

It's a reminder that everyone deserves to be treated with kindness and consideration, reflecting the beauty of human dignity 🕊️

This concept goes beyond mere politeness; it's about fostering a sense of communal respect and empathy.

In a world where differences often divide us, כָּבוֹד /ka-'vod/ bridges these gaps, promoting understanding and tolerance 🌍

Let's embrace כָּבוֹד /ka-'vod/ in our daily lives. Whether through our words, actions, or thoughts, we have the power to uplift others, showing that respect and dignity are not just values but a way of life 💫

Join me in making our world a more respectful and dignified place.

#hebrew #jewish #learnhebrew #hebrewbyinbal #israel #language #hebrew langblr #jew #torah #trending #respect #word of honor #dignity #hebrew language #language learning #langblr #jumblr #jewish tumblr

[ohsalome]

— Timothy Snyder, "The Road to Unfreedom"

#ukraine #ukrainian history #timothy snyder #history #maidan #revolution of dignity #jewish

[notaplaceofhonour]

As a leftist Jew who believes strongly in the cause of dignity and freedom for the Palestinian people, and that Israel has abused them, I am begging fellow leftists to understand that real life is not a comic book. A government being “the bad guy” in a situation does not automatically make anyone who opposes it “the good guy”.

Hamas denies the Holocaust. Hamas disseminates the Protocols of the Elders of Zion—the conspiracy theory it paints is what they mean by “Zionist”. Hamas forbids foreign aid educators from teaching human rights to Palestinians, and claims that even teaching that the Holocaust happened is a war crime. Hamas has written the aim of annihilating Israel (the country and its people) into its charter—the mass slaughter and violent expulsion of 7 million Jews from the land is written into its laws.

There is no crime any state could ever do that would justify any of that; there is no act of state repression that could ever make it acceptable to side with the organization spreading Nazi pamphlets and Holocaust denial.

Oppose Bibi Netanyahu. Oppose Israel’s far-right, authoritarian government. Oppose Likud’s policies. Oppose its violence against Palestinian civilians. That isn’t antisemitic. But Hamas is—verifiably, beyond a shadow of a doubt, to its core—antisemitic. Its portrayal of Israeli Jews as blood-thirsty, child-killing master manipulators that control international media and finance is antisemitic. Its insistence that Palestinian freedom necessitates the death & expulsion of Jews from the land is antisemitic. Its redefinition of “Zionism” as a pejorative to mean genocidal Jewish/Israeli Supremacy is antisemitic.

Supporting the Palestinian people in their plight is a noble and loving goal; please never stop that. But do not let Hamas co-opt that into excusing or denying their rampant antisemitism and war crimes.

#I am terrified every time the Israel-Palestine conflict makes the news here #bc I inevitably see American leftists regurgitate Hamas propaganda with zero critical thought #and that unfortunately includes Jewish Anti-Zionists #Israel #Palestine #israel palestine conflict #jumblr #antisemitism #edit: I removed reference to Israel’s policies as ‘apartheid’ which I’ve increasingly come to see as an inaccurate & unhelpful comparison

[spacelazarwolf]

apparently a bunch of ppl on social media are trying to call for a boycott of rick riordan because of this statement in a blog post:

Becky and I are just back from a busy weekend with events at the Boston Book Festival and New York Comic-Con.

Before I get into that, however, some words to acknowledge the ongoing horrors in Israel and Gaza. As many of you may know, I am no longer on social media. My accounts post only updates on my books and related projects. I do not read posts, reply to posts, or share my thoughts about world events on those forums. That doesn’t mean I don’t have strong feelings and reactions. It means I am offline as completely as possible, except for the occasional blog post like this one.

I will say this: Over the last eighteen years, I have received many fan letters from young readers, both Israeli and Palestinian, who often told me that my books helped them escape the fear, grief and anxiety they were dealing with at the time. Some had lost family members to violence. Some were writing while in the distance they could hear explosions, gunfire, and the launching of rockets. They used my books as a way to escape into another world, where the monsters were fictional, and where demigods usually saved the day. While I am always glad that my books can help young readers find joy during difficult times, my heart breaks every time I hear about the things they have to deal with. I am grief-stricken by the horrific events now unfolding, especially because I know that they are part of a long historic pattern that has been robbing too many children of their childhood and perpetuating hatred for far too long.

I am also quite aware that when anyone, myself included, tries to speak about this issue, the reader is waiting to pounce, thinking, “Yes, but whose side are you on?” That is exactly the wrong question. If there are two sides to this issue, those sides are not Palestinian/Israeli or Muslim/Jewish. The two sides are humanitarian and dehumanizing. Dehumanizing has a long evil history. It is appealing and easy to buy into, because humans are tribal animals. We are hardwired to think in terms of ‘us’ versus ‘them.’ We are the real humans, the good guys, the ones with God on our side. Those other people are evil monsters who don’t deserve empathy. Hate mongers have thrived on dehumanizing for as long as there have been humans. It provides them with a purpose, a way to rally support, power, and scapegoats. It is easy to point to atrocities committed by our enemies, while justifying or minimizing the atrocities committed by ourselves or our allies.

Humanitarianism is a much harder sell. It requires us to empathize, to see other groups of people as equally deserving of dignity and quality of life. It requires not always putting ourselves and our needs first. But in the long run, humanitarianism is our only hope. If violence could end violence, if we could put an end to “those other people” once and for all, human history would read very differently than it does.

So yes, I am appalled by the Hamas attacks on Israeli civilians. I am appalled by the suffering of Palestinian civilians in Gaza. Both things can be true. Both things must be true. My thoughts are with all the people who have died, who have lost loved ones, who have had their worlds and their lives shattered, especially the children. More death and violence will not break this cycle, which has been going on for generations. There is no military solution. Even since I first wrote the post, only twenty-four hours ago, the Israeli government’s brutal retaliation against the entire population of Gaza has reached genocidal proportions. This is not only an atrocity. It is folly. Answering misery with misery only creates more fertile ground for extremism, dehumanizing the “other side,” letting hate mongers thrive, stay in power, and reduce us all to our most monstrous impulses. The only real solution is treating each other like equally worthy human beings, and negotiating a peace that allows all parties a chance to live in security and dignity, with hopes for a future that does not include bombs and rockets and gunfire. This means security and support for Israel, yes. It also means a secure Palestine which is allowed to get the international aid and recognition it needs to build a viable state.

Do I think that will happen? Unfortunately, no. Humans are simply too selfish, too ready to blame “the other” for all their problems, too ready to dehumanize, though I also believe, perhaps paradoxically, that most people just want to live their lives in peace and have a chance for their children to have a brighter future. The problem is when we don’t allow other people to have those same hopes and dreams — when it becomes a false choice of us versus them.

What can I do? I will continue to write books that I hope will give young readers some joy. I will resist the urge to demonize entire groups of people. I will call for less violence, not more violence. And when asked whose side I am on, I will tell you I am on the side of humanitarianism.

So with that said, I return to the world of books . . .

honestly, if you have a problem with this statement, it’s probably because he’s talking about you. this is exactly what legitimate activists (as in not just random westerners who share social media posts but on-the-ground activists who are doing real work) have been saying for decades. and i think all this really speaks to just how disconnected a lot of westerners who claim to be pro palestinian are from those activists.

if you can’t read a statement that says “i am on the side of humanitarianism and less violence” without immediately jumping to cancel them, you are the problem being discussed in the above statement.

#ip

[ayin-me-yesh]

I think one of the reasons non-Palestinian gentiles think Palestine is "complicated" is because they don't understand what combating antisemitism actually looks like.

Like if you view combating antisemitism as generically "supporting Jews" or seeing Jews as innately "good" or even innately "victims" then Palestine seems "complicated" because what's happening there is so obviously horrendous, but if you don't support it or see Israel as the "good guy" or the "victim" you're antisemitic, right?

And I don't think this is an antisemitism specific issue either. People have a hard time with combating Islamophobia or racism in the same way. Like, you'll get similar discomfort around the protests in Iran about the mandatory hijab or when white Americans are confronted with a right wing Black American or when there's calls to support trans people Ghana who are being persecuted by the state.

I think the irony is when there's calls for "nuance" around Palestine, "nuance" means pretending that carpet bombing civilians in an open air prison of your own design is morally grey, rather than that marginalisation is about power structures and victims can become victimisers when the power dynamic leans in their favour. That bigotry is not about applying the label of "bad" to universally "good" people, but about seeing groups of people as monolithic stereotypes who can never be fully human and are less deserving of basic rights and dignity.

It's not really that Palestine is complicated so much as oppression and persecution are complicated - both towards Jews and Palestinians - and require understanding context and power structures.

In the context of Palestine, Palestinians are facing and have faced dispossessions, violence, and injustice on an astronomical scale at the hands of the Israeli state and Zionist paramilitary groups and settlers. And that is not because those colonisers are Jewish, but because colonises are colonisers and colonialism is innately violence and unjust. There's your nuance.

#palestine

[jewish-sideblog]

Clearly, y'all don't care about Jews, and the fact that Hamas is violently antisemitic doesn't seem matter to any of you. So let me go with a new approach, of equal truth and value. Hamas is violently anti-Palestinian.

This past week, Hamas attacked evacuation routes and prevented Gazan citizens from fleeing an active warzone. [1]

They did that because they routinely use Gazan civilians as human shields. Hamas intentionally builds military targets close to schools, hospitals, and mosques, putting soft targets in the way of both incoming and outgoing fire. Hamas encourages Gazan civilians and children to stand on the roofs of buildings they know the IDF is targeting. [2]

Hamas has refused to allow elections in Gaza since 2006. Not just Palestinian National Authority elections, mind you. No open elections for any office have been held in seventeen years. Palestinian rights to free elections and self-determination have been denied by Hamas. [3] (And good luck to anyone who tries to blame that on Israel, because elections were held by the PNA in the West Bank in 2012, 2017, 2021 and 2022. It's Hamas's intention alone to purge democracy.)

Hamas's track record on human rights is appalling. Palestinian prisoners in Gaza face unfair trials and death sentences after being tortured by police. Palestinian women are prevented from accessing the legal systems to escape domestic abuse situations. Political dissidents in Hamas, even ones who merely support the other half of the Palestinian government, have been summarily executed. [4] [5]

Peaceful organizers in Palestine protested Hamas's massive tax hikes in 2019. Hamas security forces responded by assaulting demonstrators, tracking them down, raiding their homes, and detaining them. And, as previously mentioned, prisoners in Gaza are not treated well by Hamas. [6]

Edit Nov.5, 10:30 PM: I forgot to add arguably the most important thing-- Hamas manipulates the humanitarian aid they receive away from helping Gazans and toward killing Jews. 5% of Hamas's budget actually gets used for humanitarian aid, while 55% goes to military use. Construction equipment intended to rebuild Gaza's crumbling infrastructure is used to build a complex series of underground tunnels. Those tunnels in turn are used to smuggle Iranian military equipment into the country. They were also used for human trafficking in the October 7th attacks. [7]

If you actually want Palestinians to be free, you can't just replace Israel with Hamas. But it's not like they're the only option for supporting Palestinian liberation. While Fatah doesn't have an immaculate historical track record, it now operates as a leftist, democratic socialist, secular Palestinian government that fights for a two-state solution. Similarly, Arab-Israeli political parties like the Hadash-Ta'al coalition support leftist, anti-Zionist, and two-state solutions from within the Israeli parliament.

You can and should support Palestinian liberation movements that abuse neither Jewish nor Arab human rights and dignities. Plenty of them exist out there. But if y'all continue to throw your weight behind an antisemitic and anti-democratic terrorist regime, Palestinians and Jews will both take note of exactly where you stand.

#israel #palestine #antisemitism

[edenfenixblogs]

For a friend who wanted links to some posts I made about antisemitism, allyship, and how to support Palestine without being antisemitic—which is both possible and easy to do!

How do you know if you’re antisemitic?

How to be a good ally for Jewish people. I responded to a wonderful ask from @faggotry-enjoyer about how to be a better ally and to discuss Israel/Palestine with people who are inclined to distrust Jews due to unexamined antisemitism.

Important post about the dangers faced by Jews as an extreme minority. There are good examples in the reblogs and replies and tags—both of great ways for non-Jews to provide support as well as if antisemites denying their own antisemitism. Therese even one example of ways Jews can and do disagree with each other while remaining respectful without delving into antisemitism OR Islamophobia OR denying the rights and dignity of Palestinians. Jews can do this and so can non-Jews. But that can’t happen if people hate us too much to listen to anything we have to say.

The emotional toll of antisemitism on Jewish people.

Example of the death threats we get that are designed to make us look like bad guys.

If Jews can learn about the Holocaust in detail before we even reach the age of ten, you can and should too.

Don’t trust people who rely on bad sources. People do make genuine mistakes. Here’s an example of bad faith link sharing. Especially when Reblogging things. Even I don’t have time to always check every source in a post. Also, it’s possible that a link seemed legitimate when it was originally posted but the source is either no longer trustworthy or the OP got better at assessing sources. If an error in their original sourcing is pointed out, they should correct it publicly. If they are sharing a link as an OP they should always take time to be as responsible as possible.

There are plenty more posts under my #leftist antisemitism tag to look into about a variety of ways that antisemitism manifests in left wing circles.

Allies, please reblog with any posts you think relevant for a someone new to dismantling their antisemitism.

#antisemitism #leftist antisemitism #media literacy #master post #resources #Jewish goyim solidarity #israel #frequently referenced #start here #jewish palestinian solidarity

[slyandthefamilybook]

since we now know that all those "my blog is safe for Jewish people" posts are bullshit, here are some Jewish organizations you can donate to if you actually want to prove you support Jews. put up or shut up

FIGHTING HUNGER

Masbia - Kosher soup kitchens in New York

MAZON - Practices and promotes a multifaceted approach to hunger relief, recognizing the importance of responding to hungry peoples' immediate need for nutrition and sustenance while also working to advance long-term solutions

Tomchei Shabbos - Provides food and other supplies so that poor Jews can celebrate the Sabbath and the Jewish holidays

FINANCIAL AID

Ahavas Yisrael - Providing aid for low-income Jews in Baltimore

Hebrew Free Loan Society - Provides interest-free loans to low-income Jews in New York and more

GLOBAL AID

American Jewish Joint Distribution Committee - Offers aid to Jewish populations in Central and Eastern Europe as well as in the Middle East through a network of social and community assistance programs. In addition, the JDC contributes millions of dollars in disaster relief and development assistance to non-Jewish communities

American Jewish World Service - Fighting poverty and advancing human rights around the world

Hebrew Immigrant Aid Society - Providing aid to immigrants and refugees around the world

Jewish World Watch - Dedicated to fighting genocides around the world

MEDICAL AID

Sharsheret - Support for cancer patients, especially breast cancer

SOCIAL SERVICES

The Aleph Institute - Provides support and supplies for Jews in prison and their families, and helps Jewish convicts reintegrate into society

Bet Tzedek - Free legal services in LA

Bikur Cholim - Providing support including kosher food for Jews who have been hospitalized in the US, Australia, Canada, Brazil, and Israel

Blue Card Fund - Critical aid for holocaust survivors

Chai Lifeline - An org that's very close to my heart. They help families with members with disabilities in Baltimore

Chana - Support network for Jews in Baltimore facing domestic violence, sexual abuse, and elder abuse

Community Alliance for Jewish-Affiliated Cemetaries - Care of abandoned and at-risk Jewish cemetaries

Crown Heights Central Jewish Community Council - Provides services to community residents including assistance to the elderly, housing, employment and job training, youth services, and a food bank

Hands On Tzedakah - Supports essential safety-net programs addressing hunger, poverty, health care and disaster relief, as well as scholarship support to students in need

Hebrew Free Burial Association

Jewish Board of Family and Children's Services - Programs include early childhood and learning, children and adolescent services, mental health outpatient clinics for teenagers, people living with developmental disabilities, adults living with mental illness, domestic violence and preventive services, housing, Jewish community services, counseling, volunteering, and professional and leadership development

Jewish Caring Network - Providing aid for families facing serious illnesses

Jewish Family Service - Food security, housing stability, mental health counseling, aging care, employment support, refugee resettlement, chaplaincy, and disability services

Jewish Relief Agency - Serving low-income families in Philadelphia

Jewish Social Services Agency - Supporting people’s mental health, helping people with disabilities find meaningful jobs, caring for older adults so they can safely age at home, and offering dignity and comfort to hospice patients

Jewish Women's Foundation Metropolitan Chicago - Aiding Jewish women in Chicago

Metropolitan Council on Jewish Poverty - Crisis intervention and family violence services, housing development funds, food programs, career services, and home services

Misaskim - Jewish death and burial services

Our Place - Mentoring troubled Jewish adolescents and to bring awareness of substance abuse to teens and children

Tiferes Golda - Special education for Jewish girls in Baltimore

Yachad - Support for Jews with disabilities

#atlas entry #please add any more you know of an especially add fundraisers for you or people you know #if there are any fundraisers for synagogues please add those as well #jew #jewish #judaism #jumblr #punch nazis

[orangeblossombitch]

Germany hit rewind on ultra speed, "From the River to the C" is officially, legally banned, Bavaria wants to treat it the same way as showing SS flag and you can get up to 3 years of jailtime for saying it, so; fun times alltogether. Germans continuously seem to be unable to stop projecting their genocidal feelings towards Jewish people on Palestinians. No matter our demand, the echo of their grandparents voice seems to be reverberating in their head. In the midst of an ongoing Gen0cide against US they are still trying to blame us for Antisemitism altogether, even the fucking Hol0caust itself. All while committing Antisemitism and Hol0caust revisionism left and right, not to speak of the statements that would put HitIer to shame.

Our minds are not like yours, clouded with greed, imperialism and fascism, From Ras al Naqoura to Sinai, P4lestine will be free. From the northern most point to the South; historic P4lestine WILL be free from settlercolonialism, Ap@rtheid, military occupation and siege, Zi0nism and any and all injustice and pain you have imposed on us. Freedom, justice and dignity for all inhabitants of this land. And in case any fuckers wanna impose their genocidal worldview on this slogan, forget about it. I'm like 99% sure I coined it, so I hereby Explicitly state, that it has one meaning, and one meaning only. No room for your vile misinterpretations!

#art #digital art #artists on tumblr #palestine #tatreez #free gaza #the border is based on Majdalawi fabric from Gaza #the tiles in the bg are preNakba tiles from Ramallah #tired of this clownshow of a country

[unbidden-yidden]

I have a post that I'm not sure how to write (but am going to try anyway) about how the valid fight for the equal rights of Palestinians is directly tied to the fight against antisemitism; they are, in fact, the same fight.

Because the truth is that many of the worst Israeli policies and certainly Jewish support for them, comes directly from Jewish fear. And unless and until that fear stops being valid, those ideas will continue to have power and support for them within the community will continue. It's not paranoia or bigotry wearing the skin of fear if people the world over have, in fact, carried out numerous genocides and ethnic cleansings against your people. The Holocaust was just one of the worst in recent memory, but it is far from the only extreme mass violence against Jews. It is simply the culmination of 2000 years of anti-Jewish hatred and institutional oppression.

There MUST be a real, concrete answer to Jewish safety.

Anything less is sanctioning the violence already done to us and passively accepting more in the future, if not actively calling for it or starting those wheels turning yourself.

There are no ifs, ands, or buts about this.

Palestinians deserve an answer and justice. You will not get any argument from me about that. (Quite the opposite, in fact.) However, any answer to their safety that callously ignores the need for Jewish safety and self-determination is doomed to end in either another genocide against Jews or failure. It is as wrong as any form of Zionism-as-an-answer to Jewish safety that callously ignores Palestinian safety and self-determination.

Any answer that treats either people as lesser, as unimportant, that values their lives less, and does not flow from a place of truth, reconciliation, peace, and mutual respect is doomed to fail and likely to devolve into more bloodshed.

If you want to fight for Palestinian safety, freedom, dignity and self-determination, you must also fight antisemitism. If you want to fight for the safety, freedom, dignity, and self-determination of our brothers in Israel, we must also care about our Palestinian cousins. There is no other way. You cannot care about only one side and expect peace.

That's why I'm really drawn to organizations that have both Israeli Jewish and Palestinian leadership and fight for a shared vision of the future. They see that the only way forward is together, and those of us outside the land would do well to listen and adjust our advocacy and message accordingly.

#I just know I'm gonna regret posting this #but #I'm right #so #המצב

[vague-humanoid]

[jewishvitya]

Pro-Israel people love both invalidating my Jewishness and giving me death threats by proxy.

And like. Their words aren't a magic spell that's going to erase my ethnicity, heritage, and cultural identity. Anti-zionist Jews have existed for as long as zionism has existed. Even if you disagree, I'm not the first Jew to think that the fight for our safety shouldn't mean an ethnostate, a concept that can only be maintained with violence and oppression towards other ethnic groups in the area.

And I have a lot of feelings about these softer definitions of zionism. Because what does this mean in practice. We've been moving places for thousands of years, immigration is not what I'm objecting to. I love this land, it's the only home I know, and my heart breaks for the destruction we cause here. From burning olive trees to poisoning the soil and the water with our weapons. This is not an expression of our connection to our ancestral homeland. This is violence on both people and land.

But the most jarring element of comments like this, especially now, is that they're treatening me with hatred from Gazans. I'm not scared of them right now. I'm scared and horrified for them.

A Gazan person I know lost contact with his family around a week ago and I've been praying for their safety while knowing that they're traumatized beyond anything I can imagine. And safety isn't even a word I can use for them even if they're alive. They've been homeless for a couple of months now, their house destroyed in the bombing. What safety can they find?

If I was in Gaza right now, I wouldn't be worrying about Palestinians learning I'm queer, I'd be worried about Israeli bombardment, about starvation and dehydration due to the siege, and about the diseases caused by the conditions Israel created there. The hostages that returned spoke about how they were more scared of the Israeli attacks than they could be of their captors.

Even ignoring the "they're not a monolith" and "some of them are queer" and "queerphobic people that hate me don't deserve this either" - how are you threatening me with their supposed queerphobia when the worst danger in Gaza right now is us?

You're not saying this because they want to hurt me. You're saying this because you want them to hurt me. They hardly know I exist. You want me to get hurt to satisfy your hatred of me for being against your movement, and to justify your dehumanization of Palestinians. You want me to be proven wrong for seeing them as people who deserve dignity and freedom and happiness. You're the one wishing violence on me. So don't be shy. Own your death threats instead of projecting them.

#riki babbles

[stil-lindigo]

Hello, very confused and overwhelmed outsider here. Looking at posts here and on news sites I see such pradoxical views, one saying to not support Palestine is to support genocide and the other saying to not support Israel is to be antisemitic. I wonder, and I am going around asking people on different sides of the war, do you believe it is possible to support both the lives of Palestinian people and the lives of Jewish people?

Feel free to ignore this ask or to point out any ignorance on my part. I hope you have some peace in your day/night, I can only imagine how stressful it is to have so many people asking so many serious questions.

hi anon. I’m gonna try to make this is as concise as possible, since I’m technically writing this on my lunch break. Yes, it is possible and in fact very easy to support the lives of Palestinian and Jewish people because - and this is the important part - Israel and Zionism is not Judaism. Depending on who you may ask, Zionism began as a pure-hearted desire for Jewish people post-WW2 to create a place that would always unequivocally be safe for Jews, but as I am not Jewish myself I feel like any description I might give comes off as insincere and not fully grasping the scope of that mission. But no matter what Zionism once was, it is now the belief that Jewish people have the right to commit genocide against indigenous population so that they can establish their ethno-state. And you can split hairs all you like, but after the past four months, my belief in that has only solidified.

Perhaps the strongest opposition to Israel comes from Jewish people themselves, who’ve popularized “not in my name” as a protest chant. Holocaust survivors have come out in droves to protest the actions of Israel, and they’re often the strongest front of any protest action since - yes, you’re right - mainstream news is very committed to selling the idea that this “war” is Jews vs Muslims which is just inflammatory racist garbage. There’s more to it than I can easily get into right now, but just for a start, it completely erases the existence of Palestinian Jews or Palestinian Christians, and also ignores Israel’s historically abusive and degrading treatment of their own Holocaust survivors in their population.

This “war” is not a war. It’s a genocide, where the total amount of bombs dropped on Gaza is officially over twice the impact of a nuclear bomb. One side is asking for a stop the fighting, for aid to be allowed through, they are asking for clean water and food as their women have been forced to rip off scraps off tents to use as menstrual products. One side has had all 35 their hospitals bombed (a war-crime the first time, and it continues to be a war crime every time it still happens), over 100 of their journalists have been targeted and murdered (more journalists than were killed in all of WW2, and btw this is also a war crime). And the other side films TikTok’s levelling apartment buildings, looting houses, kicking Palestinian hostages, stripping them naked and urinating on them. Israel has rained white phosphorus down on Palestine, they have bombed Palestine indiscriminately, they have destroyed archives, historical locations, they have done their best to rob Palestinians of their dignity and empathy and still, they’re not done.

Oh and the excuse that they’re just doing all of this to save the hostages? Hamas offered them all back in exchange for a ceasefire. And the Israeli prime minister, Netanyahu, said no.

In the future, try to get your news from trusted news sources like Al Jazeera, and following journalists on the ground like Bisan and Motaz.

#I recommend just scrolling through my page and looking at everything I’ve tagged as Palestine if you genuinely need a catch up #bc you cannot be entertaining arguments like this over 100 days into a genocide #it’s an insult to your own intelligence #palestine #free palestine #free Gaza #free West Bank

[tamamita]

Arabs in the british mandate that became israel and palestone- 1948 population, about 900k

2023 population, just in west bank and gaza- 5 million! Plus 2 million in israel itself who are citizens cause they dont do terrorism.

So like 7x the population? And still growing?

Worst. Genocide. Ever.

The term genocide was coined by the Jewish professor Raphael Lemkin in 1944, let's see what he says about genocide:

Generally speaking, genocide does not necessarily mean the immediate destruction of a nation… It is intended rather to signify a coordinated plan of different actions aiming at the destruction of essential foundations of the life of national groups, with the aim of annihilating the groups themselves. The objectives of such a plan would be disintegration of the political and social institutions, of culture, language, national feelings, religion, and the economic existence of national groups, and the destruction of the personal security, liberty, health, dignity, and even the lives of the individuals belonging to such groups.”

Anon, may Hell be a soothing place for your wickedness.