Many U.S. Jews feel solidarity after Hamas terrorist attacks on Israel. Others see expanding fissures.
People gathered on the National Mall on Sunday to express support for Israel. Just a few weeks ago, before a huge Rosh Hashanah audience, Rabbi Rachel Timoner thundered from the pulpit of her large Brooklyn synagogue against the government in Israel.
But while some immediately felt a setting-aside of the usual deep differences about Israel among America’s 7 to 8 million Jews, others braced for the exact opposite. Especially among the most liberal U.S. Jews — and 71 percent identify as Democrat-leaning, according toHavi Carrillo-Klein, 23, who leads groups to the region to work on the overlap between conflict there and other systems of oppression, said the Hamas attacks are a “catalyst” for greater divide.
IfNotNow, a prominent Jewish group focused on ending Israel’s occupation of Palestinian land, said it watched the “unfolding horrors with heartbreak and dread” for Israelis and Palestinians.“We cannot and will not say today’s actions by Palestinian militants are unprovoked,” it said Saturday. “We absolutely condemn the killing of innocent civilians. … Their blood is on the hands” of the Israeli, U.S. and other governments “who have turned a blind eye to decades of Palestinian oppression.
The children peppered her with questions. Why were the Palestinians unhappy? Were regular Israelis hiding in bunkers? Did they have enough food and water?At the end of the exchange, Kramer told the children to speak to their parents if they wanted to know more, and reminded them: “Remember, it’s happening pretty far away from us, but we care a lot, right?”
In the months and years after Israel’s other wars, he said, there were eventually “major political ramifications” and changed alliances among Jews in some cases. “It’s much too soon to predict anything.”At present, he said, there is a feeling of unity similar to what he experienced after the September, 11, 2001 attacks.
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