Two Faces, Two Places
Legitimate Fears, Implanted Fears – Demeaning Humanity
My dad was stationed at a US army base in Stuttgart, Germany in 1955. He was engaged and my mom sailed to Germany to visit and they were married there. They were on the upper side of their mid-20s. They lived in the home of a German family who had a son in his late teens. My parents were comfortable in their home following a short-lived, less pleasant experience. My mother would tell us about the family as we grew up. Mainly, I remember hearing about their son. As a child he attended Hitlerjudend (Hitler Youth), but was taught different values at home, and taught to be cautious, to play the game of compliance with Hitlerjudend for outward appearances. The family shared that with my parents. Righteous Gentiles who hid and saved Jews during World War II had to do the same. Risks of anything but identifying with Nazi ideology were life-threatening. Just saying.
The IDF eliminated another Hamas leader at Nasser Hospital as Wednesday turned into Thursday, successfully targeting other Hamas operatives too, with additional injuries and innocent Gazans paying the price. Israeli arguments for justifying such actions under international law and the counterarguments of Hamas are familiar. Unquestionably, I’m on the side buying the narrative that Hamas cynically uses hospitals as headquarters for various operations, for storing ammunition and weapons, and for other evil purposes. But when innocent people pay the price, I feel helplessly demoralized. Israeli media reports reminded us that Nasser hospital staff are Hamas collaborators. Do they have a choice?
Could it be some of them go home with torn hearts, trying to protect their families and teach them something different, but warning them to cautiously, outwardly profess identifying with Hamas?
Or maybe they have no home. Maybe the tent they lived in was washed away by the heavy rains last weekend. Winter is ahead.
But it’s that time of year when shortened hours of daylight still manage to keep you sweating in the mid-afternoon. Waiting for the formation of our next government coalition. Thinking. Palestinian citizens of the State of Israel pay taxes like me. Taxes financing warfare in Gaza.
On Friday afternoon, Eisenkot tweeted that since the election campaign began, Arab society in Israel has been subject to a campaign of delegitimization, largely fueled by Netanyahu, which is demeaning to our Declaration of Independence calling for equality of all citizens. Eisenkot asserts he will not allow for this defamation. Now we hope Eisenkot will have that power, that he will succeed in forming a government, and that despite themselves the parties in the bloc for change will change more than they profess willingness to do.
Harriet Gimpel
October 14, 2026
