Shalomless Shabbats

Were American Jews right to feel abandoned by our supposed allies in the immediate aftermath of October 7, when hostage posters were being torn down and campus protests were surging long before Israel even responded to the attacks? Yes. Are American Jews allowed to believe that what felt like a betrayal has been followed by Israeli military actions that have gone too far, led by a current government that’s “intent on blocking the creation of a Palestinian state and seems committed instead to permanent domination?” Yes. Is this complex set of realities and emotions happening at a moment when antisemitism is going through the roof, in America and abroad? Hell yes. Michael W. Sonnenfeldt tries to make sense of the situation. The Challenge for American Jews. “These contradictions place many American Jews in an untenable position. Many of us believe deeply in Israel’s right to exist, and many of us believe the United States should help Israel defend itself against existential threats, because as America’s only democratic ally in the Middle East, Israel’s survival is in the United States’ interest. At the same time, we cannot ignore the profound moral questions raised by the conduct of the war in Gaza, or dismiss the concerns of those who fear that American arms are being used in ways that violate humanitarian law. Understanding the impulse to condition military support is not the same as abandoning Israel; it can be an expression of anguish about what Israel, under its current leadership, is becoming.”