Our disproportionate love for Douglas Murray

I was recently at an event in Tel Aviv, aptly named “Israel we F*cking Love You” hosted by our beloved and hilarious Jewish advocates, Lee Kern and Michael Rapaport.

Taking a night to laugh, to cry, to be crudely, unapologetically proud of Israel during this heartbreaking war, felt like the best dose of medicine I have had in a long while.

When surprise guest Douglas Murray took the stage, the crowd seemed to erupt in a kind of joy that I can’t really explain, other than to say that I felt like Jewish women everywhere would have happily taken off and thrown their bras at the unassuming, ever so courteous, atheist, Christian, homosexual, author and journalist. ( Dare I try to fit him in any box! ) 

An unlikely mainstream hero, Sir Murray as I will forever call him, left the crowd gushing.

Perhaps he is testimony to the fact that Jews really do love a man for his brains and not only his biceps, but this is Israel, and we have no shortage of intellect.

And while he may be buff, we are surrounded by our courageous, heroic IDF and there is no shortage of good looks to go around.

So why the great love?

I think for Jews, Douglas Murray represents a kind of encounter that also sits within our trans-generational trauma.

We have all been raised with the holocaust as part of our history.  One of the small slivers of light from that chapter in time, being the Righteous Gentiles.

We grew up hearing about these individuals, their bravery, their risks, their courage of conviction,

to fight and often die for what is right, and good and true. Sadly, most of us never had the gift of really seeing and experiencing them in action.

Filled with intelligence, historical knowledge and integrity, a deep sense of moral clarity matched equally by his ability to write and articulate these thoughts, having Douglas Murray “on our side” has felt like an encounter with figures from our historical past. 

We are learning that heroism is no longer found in Hollywood or academia, but rather in people whose moral compass always faces north, without apologies nor compromise. 

These are the kind of people who move and inspire us, who we wish for our children to become.

He is reminder that within all the chaos and maddening insanity we are experiencing from the world, there are still those individuals who will blaze a truly wise and gracious path for their Jewish friends.

To our collective trauma this is overwhelmingly healing and when we see him… we gush!

Douglas Murray we thank you deeply for all that you do, and all that you are.

Proportionality it seems is not really a Jewish thing!