Dear “progressive” Jews,
I write this with a certain irony, knowing full well that it may fall on deaf ears. I have spent years trying to bridge our differences, stressing that for many, Zionism represents a safe sanctuary for Jews and our right to self-determination. However, you have shut your ears and chosen a narrative that completely ignores history and reality.
On October 7, over 1,200 Israelis – our people, your people – were mercilessly slaughtered. In your circles, this was either ignored, rationalized, or justified. It’s as if you’ve let your ideologies cloud any sense of compassion you might normally have for your own people.
Your “progressiveness” seems to have a blind spot when it comes to Jewish suffering. The worldwide rise in antisemitism should have served as a wake-up call for you, but instead, you have maintained your distorted views of Zionism and Israel. The number of antisemitic incidents has skyrocketed worldwide, yet this doesn’t appear to have shaken you back into reality.
A "progressive" blind spot for Jewish suffering
Your allies, those you’ve embraced, have publicly declared their support for Hamas, and even taken joy in the horrific October 7 attack. Protests with antisemitic chants, calls for genocide, and swastikas on signs seem insignificant to you. Jewish individuals are being assaulted on the streets, synagogues are being attacked, and Jewish students are being harassed on college campuses.
Your silence and inaction in the face of such hatred is not just passive, it is a resounding endorsement of these abhorrent views.
Your stance isn’t just misguided, it’s dangerously complicit, and reeks of hypocrisy. You associate yourself with those who deny the pain and trauma Israeli Jews went through, and who write off accounts of crimes against our people as propaganda. That is a strange stance for so-called “progressives.”
When you dismiss stories of women being raped and kids being burned in Israel, I can’t help but wonder: where are your progressive values now?
“Believe all women,” but only when it suits your agenda, I suppose? You’ve cozied up to those who chant “Gas the Jews” and dehumanize Israelis, all while waving the flag of social justice.
The people tearing down flyers designed to raise awareness about our people, about your people, who are being held hostage, are the same people whose voices you have elevated and amplified over the years, the ones you call your partners and allies.
Your allies are defacing and vandalizing images of innocent children. Where are the demonstrations and demands for their release? Instead, all blame is cast on Israel, while our suffering and trauma are mocked and denied.
How does this not mirror Holocaust denial and revisionism? Where are your condemnations, may I ask? Nazi rhetoric, it seems, becomes acceptable under the guise of “Palestinian resistance.”
I’m not asking for your support of Israel; I’m past caring about your approval. What matters to me is your flagrant disdain for the truth, your deliberate apathy toward the rise of antisemitism, and your startling willingness to condone hatred when it is wrapped in the Palestinian flag.
So, continue existing in your echo chambers, patting yourselves on the back for your “enlightened” views while turning a blind eye to the real and present danger to Jews worldwide.
But keep in mind that antisemites are indifferent to your political opinions. To them, you’re simply another Jew.
While you enjoy your self-imposed exile from the Jewish community, remember that your actions affect not only you but also Jews all around the world. In an effort to appear to be “one of the good ones” to those who will never truly accept you, you have tragically abandoned your past, your people, and even yourself.
Sincerely,
A proud Zionist Jew
The writer is director of operations at DiploAct, an Israeli organization led by a group of young activists aiming to bring the Israeli narrative to the world and to act against the movement of delegitimization and new antisemitism.