‘Chillul Hashem’ | The Drawing Board

Something broke within me recently when I saw a video of clearly emaciated men — scared and desperate — scrambling to escape the deadly chaos of a shambolic Gaza Humanitarian Foundation food distribution site.

Up until then, I cringed at the term genocide being used to describe Israel’s actions in Gaza; I preferred the terms war crimes or ethnic cleansing as a more apt description for the horrors we were all watching unfold.

When challenged about this, I routinely responded that I didn’t believe genocide was an appropriate description yet, but it certainly looked like things were heading that way, and there were definitely genocidal actors within the far-right Israeli leadership.

I have a strong ancestral connection with Israel, generally, and with liberal Zionists there, in particular; one of my forebears was a founder of that movement, which believes deeply in a two-state solution and the importance of Arabs and Jews living together in working-class solidarity.

So, for lots of reasons, I did not endorse anyone tossing around the term genocide lightly.

Then, in February, President Donald Trump posted his notorious AI video that illustrated his psychotic dream of an ethnically cleansed Gaza. This was no joke. This was a clear statement of policy.

In my routine reading of Israeli media outlets, I was horrified to discover that even center-left outlets were dismissing the video, while right-leaning media celebrated it.

It was then clear to me that genocide was imminent.

More recently, after seeing the torrent of videos of chaos and famine, I hung my head in the shameful realization that it is undeniable that Israel is committing genocide on its Gazan neighbors. I could hear my departed father’s voice: “It’s a shonda” — a disgrace — “for the neighbors.”

I am not religious, but I have always connected strongly with my Jewish identity and values.

I still consider myself a Zionist, even though I think the term is an anachronism because the goal of Zionism was achieved with the creation of the state of Israel in 1948.

And I still believe a two-state solution is the only viable policy for peace in the territory.

With all of that in mind, it is essential for me to acknowledge that Israel’s conduct in Gaza is a Chillul Hashem — a desecration of God’s law and a stain on the Jewish people.

I don’t think I can ever forgive the extreme voices on the left in this country that — out of ignorance or antisemitism — ostracized liberal Israelis and progressive Zionists, keeping them from fully joining the movement to end the barbarism of the Gaza war.

I still believe a two-state solution is the only viable policy for peace in the territory.

Those same extremists also helped to elect a Trump administration that aligns with the most far-right fringes of Israeli politics. They bear tremendous responsibility for where we are today.

But it is past time for everyone of good conscience to unite against the atrocities the White House is enabling, and demand peace and reconciliation abroad and at home. Absent this effort, I fear the genocide in Gaza will haunt us all until the end of our days.

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