“Discussing Genocide: A Guide for Reflection and Discernment”
Our hearts have been shattered since October 7th, 2023. The terror attacks perpetrated by Hamas on that day were war crimes, and took the lives of at least 1,200 people, including some of our close organizing partners in Israel. We continue to sit with worry and grief for over the two hundred and three hostages taken from Israel to Gaza that day, forty-eight of whom remain in Gaza. Israelis and Palestinians both have a right to be safe and free, and we understand the Israeli government to have been well within its rights to respond militarily to these horrific attacks.Two years after this terrible day, however, we are witnessing continued military action in Gaza without a clear or achievable strategic objective articulated by Israel’s leadership, and even public disagreement between the Israeli government and military heads.
We realize that among Jews who have built their political home amongst a broader progressive movement, there is particular pain in acknowledging that a genocide is taking place in Gaza. Many of us get “stuck” along certain lines of thinking and feeling – confusion, denial, shame, heartbreak, and so much more. However, we cannot let our grief and our deep distress keep us from continuing to shy away from the catastrophe occurring every day in Gaza. The pain of acknowledging this is acute. And it cannot stand in the way of telling the truth about what we are collectively witnessing. At Partners, we are sharing this resource after a long process of discernment and reflection, to help our community move through our fear, our grief, and our hesitancy to confront this reality head-on.