“The consensus that held American Jewry together for generations is breaking down,” wrote Ezra Klein last Sunday in The New York Times, in a much-discussed essay titled, “Why American Jews No Longer Understand One Another.”
The number one culprit in this breakdown? Israel, of course, and more specifically, Gaza, Gaza, Gaza.
Klein touches on the harm the Gaza War has done to Israel around the world, but his focus is on the fraying of the Jewish consensus. He argues that Israel’s conduct of the war has alienated liberal American Jews, fed anti-Zionism and sabotaged any hopes for a two-state solution that would reconcile Zionism and liberalism.
A typical sentiment is from Rachel Timoner, the senior rabbi at Brooklyn’s Congregation Beth Elohim:
“It’s a place of so much pain for the Jewish people right now. I think portions of the Jewish community are distraught over conditions in Gaza, over the behavior of the government, are in pain over the pull of loyalty and family and humanitarian commitments.”
Whether one agrees with Israel’s conduct or not, it’s important not to dismiss such complaints. The reality is that the Gaza War has been devastating to Palestinians. Tens of thousands have perished, or been left wounded, homeless and hungry. It’s impossible not to feel empathy for such tragedy.
Many American Jews are feeling that empathy, especially among the younger generation. We cannot ignore them.
If we have any hope of challenging Klein’s verdict that “the Jewish consensus is breaking down,” we need to face the Gaza monster head on.
Another reason is that Jews and Israel have been facing an increasing level of vitriol, from accusations of genocide to the questioning of Israel’s right to exist. As Yael Bar Tur writes in City Journal, “Arguments once unthinkable are now aired openly: that the atrocities of October 7 were justified resistance; that Israel should be abolished; that terrorists held in Israeli prisons are morally equivalent with Jewish civilians held hostage in Gaza.”
In the face of such vilification, arguing with the world that Israel is not committing genocide is useless. It feels weak. Defending Israel’s actions is too predictable. It makes Israel look defensive and guilty.
To counter the hurricane of Gaza-related venom against Israel, there is only one big, ugly and compelling truth that has a chance to cut through— Hamas is committing a genocide against Palestinians.
Why is that so shocking?
A genocide is defined by intent. When we say Hamas uses Palestinians as human shields, what do we think that means?
The unspoken tragedy of Gaza is not just that Hamas started the war with its savage invasion of Israel on Oct. 7, 2023.
The unspoken and unspeakable tragedy is Hamas’s cruel and perverted strategy to get as many Palestinians killed as possible. It may be cruel and perverted, but as far as Hamas is concerned, it has worked perfectly.
Put yourself in the shoes of a Hamas operative reading Klein’s essay. The Jews in America are splitting up! The consensus that held for generations is breaking down! The whole world is coming down on Israel! All thanks to us!
Militarily, yes, the monster of Hamas has been severely weakened, even decimated. But this one Hamas victory cannot be denied: they got a world that was already predisposed against Israel to look at Israel as the real monsters.
After the atrocity of Oct. 7, Hamas knew that Israel would have to respond ferociously against the terror group to regain deterrence. With their fighters nestled among civilians in dense urban areas, and thousands of tunnels positioned under schools, homes, mosques and hospitals, Hamas also knew that no army in the world could avoid major collateral damage to civilians.
So the stage was set. While Israel had the clear intent to harm the terrorists who butchered, beheaded, raped and abducted 1400 Israelis on Oct. 7, Hamas had the clear intent to get as many Palestinians killed as possible in order to gain the world’s sympathy.
Battered as they are, they accomplished that objective in resounding fashion, with the added bonus of seeing American Jews who “no longer understand one another.”
The anti-Israel narrative surrounding the Gaza War has gone too far. Israel has enormous catching up to do. Accusing Hamas of genocide against Palestinians is a radical moon shot that will shock the world but is rooted in truth. It may have no impact on liberal Jews who will still blame Israel for everything in Gaza. But at least it will hold Hamas responsible for one of the most cowardly acts in the history of human warfare.
Instead of playing defense against a Jew-hating world, it’s time to go after Hamas, just as the IDF has done since Oct. 7. The only difference is that now it won’t be able to hide behind its civilians.
