Unpacking the Slogan “We Stand With Israel”

It is impossible to put the events of October 7, 2024 out of mind. The brutal premeditated military assault on Israel demonstrated the ideologically based hatred of Israel and all its citizens by Hamas and its allies and its ability to exploit the frustrations of many Palestinians. Hamas’ willingness to continue the war it initiated and its refusal to release the hostages it seized has brought incredible harm to Gaza and its people.

Almost immediately after the October 7 invasion, many Jewish organization – synagogues, JCCs and others – put up signs saying “We Stand With Israel.” As Jews, we were overwhelmed by the horror of the day and our hearts went out to Israel and Israelis in the moment of their agony. It was a statement of support, of condolence, and an acknowledgement of the tragedy. It was an immediate and powerful response to those who sought to justify Hamas’ violence.

Sadly the war has continued for almost 18 months. As I write this the hope for a renewed ceasefire is fading. This conflict has disrupted life in Israel – families have been displaced, Israelis have been subject to missile attacks, people have lost loved ones defending the state, hostages have not been returned – and Gaza is in ruins, its people homeless and very many civilians have been killed and injured in the course of intense urban warfare. As Hamas very quickly lost the initiative in the war and as Israel pursued its campaign against Hamas installations embedded in urban areas, anti-Israel and anti-Jewish protests increased in our country and throughout the world. Despite of all the destruction in Gaza, the deaths of the Bibas family indicates that Hamas has not stepped back from its ideological commitments.

Although the conflict continues, the world has changed much since October 7, 2024. The signs “We Stand With Israel” are still up. However, after a year and a half of war, in light of the changing political situations in Israel and in the USA, the continuing warfare, and the increased level of anti-Semitism on the right and on the left, how can we read these words today so that they continue to hold us together as a community, express our concern for Israelis, and support our dream for a true and meaningful peace?

If we read “We Stand With Israel” as an unconditional support for Israel and its current government, we misunderstand its original purpose. It was not a political statement. It was our way of saying to Israelis and to the world that we will be with Israel and Israelis in this terrible moment, we will witness their loss, we will hear their pain, and that they are not alone.

As an expression of care and concern, “standing with” does not mean “agreeing with”. “Standing with” is a way of saying: “Here I am;” “I will listen to your story;” “I will accompany you even when you take false steps;” “I will not abandon you even when I think you are wrong.” It is an expression of solidarity and spiritual support.

“We Stand With Israel” can be restated as “We Are Concerned With Israel”, meaning that we are worried about Israel and what is happening to Israelis. We are concerned with the physical, spiritual, moral, social, economic and political challenges brought forth by this war. We want to bring peace and healing to Israel and all its people.

“We Stand With Israel” can also be understood as “We Are Connected to Israel”. While a spiritual tie to the land of Israel has always played a central role in Jewish self-understanding, today, many of us have a real, living connection to Israel.  We have friends and family in Israel. We know Israelis. We have visited Israel. We enjoy speaking Hebrew even if we know only a handful of words. That does not mean we are in agreement with everything any Israeli government does, but it does mean that what happens in Israel and to Israelis touches us in deep and meaningful ways.

“We Stand With Israel” can mean “We Believe in Israel”. Not that we believe that whatever Israel and Israelis do is good, but we believe that Jewish people, as a people, have the right to national self-determination. It means that we take seriously the principles outlined in Israel’s Declaration of Independence. It means that we are committed to the vision of there can be a nation state that is both politically democratic and culturally Jewish.

The covenant that binds Jews together, whether one reads it as a divinely directed ordinance or the acknowledgement of a shared culture, history and destiny or both, stresses unity and not uniformity. Biblically, the spiritual foundations of this covenant rest on concepts such as chein or grace, the power that attracts us to each other; chesed, a term that binds affection and loyalty and rachamin, mercy and compassion for one’s self and the other. The power of this covenant allows for and draws it strength from an acceptance of diversity – “there are seventy faces to the Torah” and the obligation to engage in dialogue which includes tochecha – the requirement for us to engage with each other in a way that we can hear each other when we feel that the other is off the mark.

Reading “We Stand With Israel” in these ways allows for an expansive vision of our relationship as American Jews with Israel. It does not bind us to support any particular expression Israeli politics and policy. It does not limit our moral and spiritual resources to Israel. It does not exclude concern for the well-being of Palestinians. It allows us to live with the dissonance between the current reality of fear, insecurity, struggle and war and our aspirational vision of trust, stability, co-operation and peace.

“We Stand With Israel” claims that there is a special relationship between us and Israel on a personal and communal level. It expresses our hope that all Jews, Kol Yisrael, both those who live in Eretz Yisrael, the land of Israel, and those who reside throughout the world, in Galut, the Diaspora, are tied to each other, support one another as together we pray and work for the blessing of shalom, for us, for all Israel and for all who live with us on this small and fragile world.

“We Stand With Israel” means that we are committed to the particular nature of the Jewish experience and dedicated to the universal vision of the Jewish tradition. It means that we see the destiny of Israel – the nation, the community, and the peoplehood – tied to our hope that a world will emerge in which all people, including Jewish people, as individuals, communities, nations and faith-traditions, will live in peace and in harmony with each other.