Perplexed, Disappointed, and Angry
I have been committed to the Zionist vision of Israel as the homeland of the Jewish people since my youth. Even a cursory glance at our scriptures and prayer book makes it obvious that Zionism is an essential element of Judaism. The phrase “And bring us in peace from the four corners of the earth to our land” found in our morning prayers is emblematic of this link. When we finally made Aliyah in 2012, I, Ilke thousands before me, literally felt that I was coming home. My loyalty to Israel, my pride in our accomplishments, my gratitude for the opportunity to live here, my visceral connection to the land are unbounded
Like for many other Israelis, the interminable war in Gaza has cast a huge shadow on my connection to my homeland. I am deeply worried about the hostages, our exhausted soldiers, the fear that we are in a never-ending war that we cannot win. I am horrified by the destruction, starvation, and death in Gaza. I am fully aware that in Hamas we face a cruel foe that not only is indifferent to the suffering of Gazans, but relishes and manipulates the images of their suffering in order to turn world opinion against Israel. And yes, too many in the world have been indifferent to the atrocity of October 7th and the horrors inflicted on the hostages.
Yet, I find myself perplexed, disappointed, and angry about our response to the war.
First, I am perplexed by the situation on the ground in Gaza: if we control 75% of Gaza, why has 90% of the food and water distribution not been reaching those in need? And why are there so many reports of efforts at crowd control that seem to result in killing and maiming people?
Second, as an Israeli citizen, I am disappointed that so many of my compatriots – undoubtedly traumatized by October 7th—don’t seem to care about the suffering in Gaza. It has been reported that two-thirds don’t want Gazans to receive humanitarian aid! And it breaks my heart that in the face of overwhelming evidence, so many are in denial about the hunger that the whole world is watching every day.
I am also disappointed by the leaders of the opposition. Calling out Netanyahu and his coalition on their failures does not constitute leadership or a platform. I cannot recall the last time that Gantz or Lapid shared an idea about how to extricate Israel from Gaza or at an even more profound level – how are we going to live alongside the Palestinians.
Third, I am angry at our government. The heads of this government—Incompetent and malevolent — act as if they care nothing about the hostages, the lives of our soldiers, the well-being of our people – they only care about staying in power. They blithely careen along, indifferent to the will of the people. Most Israelis do not believe that “total victory” is possible. Most Israelis want the war to end and the hostages freed, even at a high price. Most Israelis do not have confidence in this leadership. Most Israelis want an independent commission of inquiry to probe October 7th.
Calls for annexation — be it Gaza or the territories, denying Palestinians human rights, mocking their legitimate desire for independence generates hopelessness. Hopelessness breeds terrorism. Smotrich, Ben-Gvir and others in their camp are determined that my grandchildren’s grandchildren should spend their lives in endless warfare.
As a religious Jew, I am angry at Haredi rabbis. They urge their followers to refuse to serve in the army, even though they know that Jewish law requires that in times of danger, war is obligatory, and everyone must serve. In their calls to refuse to serve, they cannot cite a single Jewish legal source in support of their position. And, why has most of the rabbinic religious Zionist leadership been silent in the face of this blatant violation of Jewish law?
As an Israeli Jew, I am angry at the hilltop settlers in the territories who destroy property, beat people, and commit murder in the name of my religion. Their behavior is a desecration of God’s name. And while they are a small minority of the those who live in the territories, the others are complicit in their silence.
I am also ashamed at the current distortion of the Judaism that I l have loved and cherished my whole life. We are commanded to be merciful, the children of a merciful God. Instead, we are cruel. We are commanded to love the stranger. Instead, we abuse the stranger. We are commanded to feed the hungry, instead we are starving the hungry. We are taught to value the life of each individual human being, and we recklessly endanger the lives of so many, including our soldiers. We are taught that redeeming captives is the highest value, and we ignore the plight of the hostages. We are taught that in times of great danger to the land of Israel, everyone goes into battle. Yet today tens of thousands refuse to serve.
We are to be a light unto the nations. Instead, we have become a darkness to the nations. We are told to select leaders who are capable, fear God, are truthful, and who hate greed. Instead, we have leaders who are incompetent, fear only the truth, and who are corrupt.
I hesitate to send this out, as I expect to persuade no one. but we have also been taught that silence is assent, and God forbid that I should assent to the situation in Israel today. Rav Nachman of Bratslav taught that despair is forbidden. So, no matter how bleak the outlook, we need to act.
We need to find and elect new leaders who embody powerful and important Jewish values — being merciful, feeding the hungry, embracing the stranger, protecting the lives of our soldiers, ensuring that everyone serves. We need to choose leaders who are dedicated to being a light unto the nations.
On a more practical level, we need leaders who have the courage to do what is necessary to end the war. We need to work with other countries in the Middle East, even if it means opening the door to Palestinian autonomy. Perhaps new leaders can emerge from the ranks of those who have worked tirelessly to free the hostages and to keep alive the memories of those whom we have lost.
In the words of the Torah portion this past Shabbat, “And you shall remember the Lord your God, for He has given you the strength to do mighty deeds in order to establish His covenant which He swore to your fathers this day.”
May God give us the strength to do what is necessary to reshape our country’s direction.