It’s taken me a while to find the words for what is happening in Israel and Gaza.
Because of my affinity for the Jewish religion and Jewish people, I’ve been asked what side I’m on. My answer is neither, if we are talking about the decisions of the Israeli government or the decisions of Hamas.
So, who then? My heart is with the Israeli people. My heart is with the Palestinian people. They are the ones who’ve died, they are the ones suffering. The trauma is unfathomable. And neither of these beautiful people are a monolith that stands with the extreme actions of those enacting the terrors.
My broken heart remains with all that suffer now, I cannot fathom anything else - my spirit would rebel. There may be those angered by my stance, I understand.
I know the situation is complex, – so much history, so much pain spanning time that almost feels life forever. I don’t pretend to understand it all or to have anything wise to say about what it would take to resolve these troubles. I’ll leave that to those who have the knowledge paired with the wisdom to lead the way.
A couple of resources I know of if you want to dig deeper.
https://www.jewishvoiceforpeace.org/2023/10/statement23-10-07/