outstanding way of encapsulating how and why these bland "neutral" sounding messages from our great institutions like universities/schools/employers are actually grossly offensive. Neutrality on the slaughter, rape, beheading of Jews is not neutral - it is horrific.
I love this with one exception - not even the Broadway theatre is safe. What's staggering to discover, the same people who insist on acknowledging the Indigenous People's land we built our theatres in NYC on, are the SAME PEOPLE who won't acknowledge Israel as the homeland of the Jews. Instead, they hem and haw and only want to defend Hamas. It's insane. It feels like everyone is speaking a woke talking point without doing ANY research. Even a little. And to compare Israel's response to what Hamas did... What they did was NOT about liberation. It was to inflict pain on the Jewish people. Period.
I'm not even jewish and I am terrified by the insanely escalating global 'antisemitism'. No more nice little euphanisms here, it is outright jew hatred and it is being encouraged, legitimized and allowed to grow bigger and bigger and ever more insane and disconnected from real reality. And well sorry, but that nice little school email from that all politically correct principal is just virtue signalling. I'm a native elder and I don't know why folks think that indigenous people's day actually means something. If natives had any real power in this country, we would be vilified and hated all over again. Folks like to make nice now because we got so beaten down and it is popular to feel guilty for something one personally had nothing to do with so one can feel all righteous givng lip service to the poor little downtrodden indians. And besides every single native tribe made war on every other and whatever tribe was on your land before colonialization had most likely displaced and/or genocided another tribe before them. We need to get real and stop pointing fingers and blaming everyone else for our problems today. We should all know by now that TERROR IS NOT SOCIAL JUSTICE . Sadly one of my favorite substacks has gone all pro palestine even tho they try to say they aren't. I got told I was racist for pointing out that I was not afraid of Israel terror bombing the US, but Hamas would love to bomb/ dismember/ decapitate a bunch of americans while the radical islamic world cheers them on from the front row seats.
All the indigenous/colonialist arguments drive me bonkers. Like, c’mon everyone, just do some research...?! And if you’re so up in arms about who really “owns” the land and making sure it’s the original people, do you know where WE all live right now? It’s just hypocrisy on top of more hypocrisy and makes my brain hurt.
An Arab American House of Representative member from Michigan seems miss the hypocrisy of her statements, as do the angry decolonizing kids in Californian universities. "Go back to where you came from"? Sure, you first.
May many more readers find their way to it! R' Brous gave a sermon yesterday about loneliness and the disappointment so many of us are feeling. It feels like it is in conversation w your post. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TFLvLETvP1A
I hear you and am glad to have stumbled on this essay because I was worried I was the only one on Substack talking about any of this. That email from your school shows how scared people are to say anything of any substance, so everyone is just saying a whole lot of nothing. I live in a heavily Jewish populated community, and I definitely noticed the difference in the wording of our school’s email vs. the messaging from our major city’s school board. Seems outright saying “I care about Jews and Jewish lives” is just too controversial for most.
My heart breaks for you and all of us. When I posted on Facebook today that "No, your Jewish friends are not OK" one of my progressive leftist Jewish friends responded "No, my Jewish and Palestinian friends are not OK." I'm trying very hard to not take that as being chastised for giving a sh*t about Jews without acknowledging anyone else who is hurting. Thank you for the funeral analogy. I will definitely use it.
I have gone beyond untrusting. For the past week I have been worried about Israel invading Gaza, which I think is what Hamas wants, and the rest of the world turning against us (as in all Jews). As I write this in the midst of greater escalation and threats from Hezbollah and Iran, I realize I am actually terrified that Israel, where I was a volunteer on Kibbutz in 1967 after the Six Day War, will be bombed into oblivion. I am terrified of another Holocaust
Spot-on in every way, Joel. We got a similar mealy-mouthed statement from our kids' school. It wasn't blatantly anti-Jewish, but it certainly didn't seem any more bothered by the massacre than the missives we get about carline policies. It made me feel awfully vulnerable for my family.
Well said, my thoughts exactly. Thank you for speaking out about what is proliferating like a disease through the media and communities. We are being incessantly inundated with hurtful, subversive, and trite statements or ideologies during such an existentially painful and pertinent time. <3
Thank you for articulating what felt off about institution email acknowledgements of 'conflict in the Middle East'. Your words soothed something for me way over here in Australia.
Thank you, Joel, and I'm sorry. Coming from a rabbi on Long Island, I appreciate your candor and I am so sorry for the reality that we all find ourselves in.
Thank you for writing this. I feel less alone, less crazy, no less sad. I truly feel we Jews got no space to mourn and that is the saddest thing of all.
outstanding way of encapsulating how and why these bland "neutral" sounding messages from our great institutions like universities/schools/employers are actually grossly offensive. Neutrality on the slaughter, rape, beheading of Jews is not neutral - it is horrific.
I love this with one exception - not even the Broadway theatre is safe. What's staggering to discover, the same people who insist on acknowledging the Indigenous People's land we built our theatres in NYC on, are the SAME PEOPLE who won't acknowledge Israel as the homeland of the Jews. Instead, they hem and haw and only want to defend Hamas. It's insane. It feels like everyone is speaking a woke talking point without doing ANY research. Even a little. And to compare Israel's response to what Hamas did... What they did was NOT about liberation. It was to inflict pain on the Jewish people. Period.
I promise that Gutenberg is a safe space.
Amen to Josh Gad keeping it safe.
I'm not even jewish and I am terrified by the insanely escalating global 'antisemitism'. No more nice little euphanisms here, it is outright jew hatred and it is being encouraged, legitimized and allowed to grow bigger and bigger and ever more insane and disconnected from real reality. And well sorry, but that nice little school email from that all politically correct principal is just virtue signalling. I'm a native elder and I don't know why folks think that indigenous people's day actually means something. If natives had any real power in this country, we would be vilified and hated all over again. Folks like to make nice now because we got so beaten down and it is popular to feel guilty for something one personally had nothing to do with so one can feel all righteous givng lip service to the poor little downtrodden indians. And besides every single native tribe made war on every other and whatever tribe was on your land before colonialization had most likely displaced and/or genocided another tribe before them. We need to get real and stop pointing fingers and blaming everyone else for our problems today. We should all know by now that TERROR IS NOT SOCIAL JUSTICE . Sadly one of my favorite substacks has gone all pro palestine even tho they try to say they aren't. I got told I was racist for pointing out that I was not afraid of Israel terror bombing the US, but Hamas would love to bomb/ dismember/ decapitate a bunch of americans while the radical islamic world cheers them on from the front row seats.
TERROR IS NOT SOCIAL JUSTICE - exactly- and thank you. 🙏🏼☮️
All the indigenous/colonialist arguments drive me bonkers. Like, c’mon everyone, just do some research...?! And if you’re so up in arms about who really “owns” the land and making sure it’s the original people, do you know where WE all live right now? It’s just hypocrisy on top of more hypocrisy and makes my brain hurt.
I think about how Canada, Australia, and New Zealand at least wrestle with this and we don't (not even many progressives) and I can't figure out why.
Exactly
An Arab American House of Representative member from Michigan seems miss the hypocrisy of her statements, as do the angry decolonizing kids in Californian universities. "Go back to where you came from"? Sure, you first.
A big thank you, Joel, from an old friend who lives 30 minutes east of Gaza.
I miss you. I'm guessing you're not coming to reunion. I'll be thinking about you.
Beautifully put. I feel a little less lonely. Thank you for writing this, Joel.
Thanks I feel a little less lonely because people read it.
May many more readers find their way to it! R' Brous gave a sermon yesterday about loneliness and the disappointment so many of us are feeling. It feels like it is in conversation w your post. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TFLvLETvP1A
I keep listening to that sermon!
I hear you and am glad to have stumbled on this essay because I was worried I was the only one on Substack talking about any of this. That email from your school shows how scared people are to say anything of any substance, so everyone is just saying a whole lot of nothing. I live in a heavily Jewish populated community, and I definitely noticed the difference in the wording of our school’s email vs. the messaging from our major city’s school board. Seems outright saying “I care about Jews and Jewish lives” is just too controversial for most.
My heart breaks for you and all of us. When I posted on Facebook today that "No, your Jewish friends are not OK" one of my progressive leftist Jewish friends responded "No, my Jewish and Palestinian friends are not OK." I'm trying very hard to not take that as being chastised for giving a sh*t about Jews without acknowledging anyone else who is hurting. Thank you for the funeral analogy. I will definitely use it.
I have gone beyond untrusting. For the past week I have been worried about Israel invading Gaza, which I think is what Hamas wants, and the rest of the world turning against us (as in all Jews). As I write this in the midst of greater escalation and threats from Hezbollah and Iran, I realize I am actually terrified that Israel, where I was a volunteer on Kibbutz in 1967 after the Six Day War, will be bombed into oblivion. I am terrified of another Holocaust
I imagine having lived in a Kibbutz makes this all the more real and terrifying. Thanks for writing this.
This.
Did you listen to Ezra Kleins latest?
I did. I thought they were all smart and kind.
Spot-on in every way, Joel. We got a similar mealy-mouthed statement from our kids' school. It wasn't blatantly anti-Jewish, but it certainly didn't seem any more bothered by the massacre than the missives we get about carline policies. It made me feel awfully vulnerable for my family.
I stand with car line policies.
Great piece. Don’t worry about posting on Substack. There are more heartfelt essays and videos on Notes. We are not alone.
Yes to all of this
Well said, my thoughts exactly. Thank you for speaking out about what is proliferating like a disease through the media and communities. We are being incessantly inundated with hurtful, subversive, and trite statements or ideologies during such an existentially painful and pertinent time. <3
Thank you for articulating what felt off about institution email acknowledgements of 'conflict in the Middle East'. Your words soothed something for me way over here in Australia.
Thank you, Joel, and I'm sorry. Coming from a rabbi on Long Island, I appreciate your candor and I am so sorry for the reality that we all find ourselves in.
This must be both an awful and rewarding time to be a rabbi.
I officially love you. I will be sharing this with my husband.
Don't share the "loving me" part.
Thank you for writing this. I feel less alone, less crazy, no less sad. I truly feel we Jews got no space to mourn and that is the saddest thing of all.
Outstanding piece! It eloquently articulates what many of us feel. Thank you!
Exactly how I feel. Thanks for this.