As a lifelong Democrat and a staunch advocate for social justice, I’ve been at the front lines fighting for progress. I’ve shouted to the world for Black Lives Matter, rallied for gender equality, stood up for same-sex marriage, protested for a woman’s right to choose and advocated for immigration reform. My dedication to a just society is unwavering, and my values dictate that all humans deserve respect, dignity and freedom. Yes, this includes Israelis. And yes, this includes Palestinians.
But after Hamas terrorists infiltrated Israel, murdering and pillaging, and rockets were subsequently launched, killing more than 1,400, injuring nearly 5,000 and kidnapping 200, my heart sank. I was dismayed not only by the tragedy itself but also by the startling silence and misplaced blame emanating from many within my own progressive community.
Any objective observer would label such an attack on civilians — babies, the elderly and all — as a massacre. The world would unquestionably acknowledge the targeted nation’s right to self-defense. But when it comes to Israel, the narrative astonishingly shifts. The discourse among my progressive allies, people with whom I have stood shoulder to shoulder for countless causes, has been tinged with a disturbing bias.
Instead of acknowledging Israel’s right to defend its citizens, some in my community resort to misinformed and often false rhetoric that paints Israel as a colonial entity, born solely out of the ashes of the Holocaust. This simplification not only negates thousands of years of Jewish connection to the land but also disregards the complex history and geopolitics of the region.
More troubling is the outright denial or minimization of the unwillingness of any Arab state to welcome Palestinian refugees. While there are certainly issues to be debated and injustices to be addressed on both sides, suggesting that Israel deserved the attacks is an affront to any reasonable notion of social justice.
I mourn the loss of innocent lives on both sides of the conflict. But I also mourn the fracture that has occurred within my community. Many of my liberal friends, with whom I’ve marched and advocated for so many other just causes, seem unable or unwilling to recognize Israel’s right to self-defense.
In the struggle for social justice, selective outrage that ignores context or facts is not just intellectually dishonest — it’s morally compromising. If the progressive community cannot unite against indiscriminate violence and stand up for the rights of all humans to live safely and freely, then we undermine the very values we claim to represent.
It’s time for a hard look in the mirror. If our commitment to justice is truly universal, then it must be universally applied, even when it’s politically inconvenient. While calls for a ceasefire are laudable in the abstract, insisting on one before the release of hostages is not only shortsighted but also offensive.
Yes, far too many Palestinian civilians are dying, and each loss is a tragedy. But it’s crucial to note that these deaths are significantly caused by Hamas firing rockets from schools, hospitals and cemeteries. They’ve established bunkers deep below populated areas, deliberately putting civilians in harm’s way. To ignore this fact is to lack understanding of why the loss of innocent life is occurring on both sides.
Moreover, the “Free Palestine” protests that have swept across cities are both tone-deaf and deeply misleading. More alarming are the chants of “From the River to the Sea,” an explicit call for the elimination of Israel. This is not activism; it’s antisemitism at its core. While the slogan “Free Palestine” resonates emotionally, it ignores the reality that for many in Gaza, freedom from Hamas’s tyrannical rule is also a pressing concern. To march against Israel while turning a blind eye to the atrocities of Hamas, who are holding not only hostages but an entire population captive, is a misplaced form of activism that serves to perpetuate the conflict rather than resolve it.
This selective activism not only nauseates me but also serves as a disheartening reminder of the extent of the bias and misinformation.
Some might argue that the logical response to this disconnect is to abandon the Democratic Party in favor of the GOP. But that is not the solution. In the face of such contentious issues, we may find ourselves in a political no man’s land, standing alone based on principle rather than party affiliation.
In the words of former Israeli Prime Minister Golda Meir, “We Jews have a secret weapon in our struggle with [our neighbors]; we have no place to go.”
This statement not only highlights the unique connection of the Jewish people to the land of Israel but also underscores a universal truth: Many of us may find we have “no place to go” when it comes to nuanced views within our political communities. It is precisely because we have nowhere else to go — no other land to call our own — that we must continue to advocate for a balanced and comprehensive understanding of these complex issues, even if it leaves us standing alone. The integrity of our values and the causes we have fought for demands nothing less.
Avi S. Olitzky, formerly senior rabbi of Beth El Synagogue in Minneapolis, is president and principal consultant of Olitzky Consulting Group.
