#ISRAEL IS THE ONLY PLACE WHERE JEWS CAN FEEL TRULY SAFE

[laineystein]

i personally don’t support war and find blindly serving any military awful. I don’t mean to be rude i just wonder why you think that defending israel is the only way to garuntee jewish safety? that feels like taking responsibility off of other countries and leaving diaspora jews vunerable. im really just anti military but this conflict has been awful and i hope for the safety of all jewish people israelis muslims and palestinians but no safety to a government of right wingers

I admire your bravery in reaching out when I don’t have anon turned on. Few would, so good on you.

First off, I’m not serving blindly. None of the soldiers I’m serving with are serving blindly. We all believe in what we’re doing and we’re going to keep doing it until the mission is done and all of our people are safe again. I could get into the nuances of conscription and reserves but I’m not going to. With confidence, succinctly, none of us are serving blindly. (I’m also employed by the IDF outside of reserves so I assure you that I, in particular, love my army and believe in what we stand for.)

I don’t *think* that defending Israel is the only way to guarantee Jewish safety. I know it is. We are a country surrounded by homicidal antisemites. Hamas has stated that they will continue doing what they did on October 7th until we cease to exist. There is no peace for the Israeli or Palestinian people with Hamas still in power. So we’re destroying their tunnels and we’re rooting them out and we’re here for our hostages. Let’s play devils advocate - if Israel didn’t exist do you all honestly think that Hamas and all other Iran proxies would just allow Jews and the Western world to live in peace? Because they wouldn’t. Y’all should be grateful that we’re here because if we weren’t, they’d be killing Jews elsewhere. Don’t let them fool you into believing this is about land. They. Hate. Jews. And Israel is the only place in the world where Jews can truly defend themselves. My grandfather survived the Holocaust BH and he always says that they didn’t have a way to defend themselves in the camps. They weren’t organized. They didn’t have weapons. They didn’t have the upper hand. Well now we’re organized and we’re armed and we’re trained. Never again will we be helpless - thanks to Israel.

“That feels like taking the responsibility off of other countries” - what responsibility? To protect Jews? To persecute Hamas? Feh! None of that will ever happen. Not once has any other country *saved* the Jewish people. And, actually, often times people are turning a blind eye to our persecution - like most of the world did on and after and ever since October 7th. Like they did during the Holocaust. Like they have every time Hamas and PIJ indiscriminately fire rockets at Israel. As I said, never again will our safety be in anyone else’s hands because the world has shown us time and time again that they do not care.

“Leaving diaspora Jews vulnerable” is an insane way to blame the victim. WE WERE ATTACKED. But do you think we needed to be attacked for people to hate Jews? No, this has just empowered them to do so out loud. There has always been a correlation between anti-Israel hate and violence against Jews in the diaspora. In May of 2021 when 4000+ rockets were fired into Israel, goyim in the diaspora took this as permission to act out their antisemitic fantasies. Again when WE WERE ATTACKED. Don’t forget - People were celebrating our massacre before Israel even set foot in Gaza. Don’t let the world fool you into thinking that Israel defending ourselves has created antisemitism in the diaspora, it’s only encouraged it.

I am going to give you the benefit of the doubt here and assume you are not Jewish. I don’t know how to explain this conflict to you - a conflict I have lived my entire life (like my parents and grandparents before me). I don’t know how to share my pain and grief and the pain and grief of my tribe in a way that will make sense. But I’m done needing to justify my existence as a Jew. Israel is done justifying its existence as the homeland of the Jewish people. History has shown us that our survival is our responsibility and I/we won’t apologize for it. The same people that are too cowardly to stand up for us when our people are killed and raped can keep their mouths shut when we defend ourselves.

And it seems like maybe you didn’t read this post that I shared today which really would have answered a lot of this without me needing to go on a sleep deprived rant.

[my-unorthodox-life]

okay can i vent for a minute? get real personal with all y'all?

i've been a tumblr user since i got my first tablet at age 12, over a decade of having at least one active blog (usually more) so it's safe to say i've both gotten my fair share of hate and found ways of using this app to benefit me and keep me detached from this hate

currently i have 4 active blogs, my main where i do the typical reblogging and updates on my fanfics, this one where i post like a proper blog and reblog jewish things that matter to me, my mental health recovery blog where i talk about my eating disorder and ptsd, and my adult one where i reblog fun sexy stuff and chat about the struggles of dating as sex positive people with trauma.

all very important to me and all have various levels of anonymity when it comes to knowing about me as a person. some have my name, some a nickname, one just my age. plus various tidbits so people know what to expect from my posts and what we can chat about, basic blog rules essentially

in the past few months as antisemitism has gotten more and more common place i of course get more anon hate, i don't turn of inboxes since i do get nice stuff from time to time, and that's kind of the territory of running a blog (i had a trans rights one in the age of kalvin garrah, i think i'll live)

out of those four blogs the one that gets the most antisemitic messages, i mean full paragraphs of truly vile ramblings that read like a nazi fever dream, is the one for my mental health recovery. a blog that i block all but mutuals on, meaning either a stranger or someone i've interacted with is sending these messages

i've started replying to them, cause i feel if they want to be mean and make a fool of themselves i might as well let everyone see (poor guy keeps sending me weird reviews of "my" wattpad fics. i've never had a wattpad account but this doesn't seem to stop him), but what gets me is that blog has the least personal information on it. no name or nickname, no hobbies or interests listed, nothing about what i do for work beyond "pet care", and the only mention of my religion or politics was one post that joking about how my mental health often gets worse around the high holy days (very demure, very mindful)

and yet that's the blog that gets straight up death threats, not even disguised as anything else, just straight up calling me a pig who deserves to burn. not the personal blog where i've posted about israel and palestine, or about dating while religious, or hell even this one that might as well be a "i'm a sensitive jewish minded person! thoughts?" blog.

no the one blog that people feel safe harassing is the nondescript recovery and relapse blog. that's where people feel comfortable.

and it makes me sad, not because of what was said, but because it *was* said. that there's people out there comfortable enough in their bigotry to go up to someone and spew vile hate like it's nothing, but only of course if they can't put a name or face to the person they're talking to

what this reminds me of is when i was in high school i had an art teacher who didn't stand for antisemitic jokes, and there were a lot in my school. one day a kid just asked him "Mr.Dexter, are you a jew?" and his response really stuck with me. he said "It doesn't matter, maybe I am, maybe I used to be, maybe my wife is. But you shouldn't not say mean things just because you don't want to get in trouble, you shouldn't say them because you know it's wrong. If you didn't know, you wouldn't ask."

and i think that really sums up all these trolls i've seen running through jewish blogs or even ones that casually mention it, they know it's wrong but the aren't saying it to a jewish face, they're just saying it to the idea of judaism

these people wouldn't walk up to you on the street and look you up and down and say half of what they feel comfortable typing, but here where they can not only hide their face, but seek out a target that has hidden their own they've found a way to give themselves free reign to say and do whatever they want. to them it's not a person on the other side of the screen, it's the strawman caricature of a jewish person, out here just for them to yell at to get whatever anger they have out of their system

of course there are some people who would say truly despicable things to a random person on the street, but cmon is that person really on tumblr hunting through buzz words to send hate?

anyways i know the compassionate thing to do would be to pray for them to heal what's hurting them so bad, but yanno what, they can suffer a bit first

[jefferkyleson]

As a Jew who has recently been undergoing an identity crisis about my Judaism due to my father's passing and the conflict in Israel and Palestine, I just want to say, try to assume good in people.

First of all, genocide is horrible and what the Israeli government is doing is reprehensible. I will not indulge in a both sides argument. The numbers of civilians deaths speak for themselves.

Real quick, let me tell you a story. My father was Jewish. He grew up in a rural town in America. You can imagine how that went. Day after day he was belittled and beaten. He was mostly known as "Jew" and would often be called that followed by a swift punch to the gut.

As he got older, things didn't get much better. In High School, he and his friend were in the same class. He got a B, she got an A. They both knew each other well and knew he got better scores, so they went to the teacher for clarification. The teacher had a simple response. "You're the Jewish kid, right?" he said. My dad responded, "Yeah?" "That's all I need," he said. If he wasn't Jewish, he probably would've had straight A's.

Throughout his career, again, little changed. Dog whistles and insults and fear were thrown around wherever he went. And after he had me, that fear only grew. Of course it did. You would do anything to protect your child and you fear whatever the world may do to hurt them.

Now, only 8 years ago, he had to watch a man become president who was being openly supported by nazis. He had to watch people march in the street and chant "Jews will not replace us!" He had to watch as some of the last holocaust survivors started to die out and he had to watch as the neo-nazis grew louder and bolder.

To drive my point home, I've only ever seen this man cry once. It was when he watched Schindler's List with me in the room.

So when my father spoke about supporting Israel, I was confused. "How could he stand for genocide?" "How could he support colonialism?" "Is everything he taught me about the middle east a lie?"

But I knew my father well.

He did not support genocide. He has always stood for equality and peace. He did not support colonialism. At home, he has helped support native populations in every way his job allowed. He knew a lot about the middle east. He had a PhD and had bookshelves of history books.

I think deep down, Judaism can often be tied to fear. When you look at Jewish history, it's hard to notice anything but enslavement and genocide. When you live a Jewish life, it's hard to notice anything but fear and hate.

All he wanted was for Jews everywhere to be safe. All he wanted was for me to be safe. All he wanted was to be safe. So when he stood with Israel, he still did not support the genocide. But he grew up in fear and hoped that Israel could one day become a peaceful place where Jews could be safe.

Did I agree with him on everything? No. He would always jokingly call me a Commie. We did not agree on the situation on Israel. But I knew him. I understood where he was coming from. I understood what he meant and what he was truly fighting for. He wanted a world where everyone could be safe. He personally felt that Jews could be safe in Israel and lived a life that made him feel like we couldn't be safe anywhere else. He also felt that Israel's actions were wrong and that Israel needed to undergo a lot of changes so that the middle east could be safe for everyone. He did not support genocide, he did not support Israel's current actions, but he still supported Israel. And you know what, maybe with more time, he would've condemned Israel entirely, but when he passed, he still supported Israel, and the least I can do is understand where he was coming from.

This has gotten pretty long-winded, but what I'm trying to say is, look at who people truly are. When my dad grew up, "Zionist" was often code for "Jew" and "From the River to the Sea" may as well have been saying "Jews will not replace us." But when I see the people calling for an end to genocide, I believe that is what they are fighting for. When I see Jewish organizations, politicians, teachers, rabbis, and kids on splatoon saying "From the river to the sea, Palestine will be free," I truly believe they are against genocide and are advocating for freedom, equality, and peace. And when I see celebrities and Jewish organizations and my dad supporting Israel, I truly believe they are against genocide and are advocating for freedom, equality, and peace. And when I think of the millions of people in the middle east, I know the vast majority of them just want to live lives of freedom, equality, and peace.

Now don't get me wrong. Again, I'm not trying to make a both sides argument. I personally believe that what Israel is doing is wrong and the bloodshed needs to stop immediately.

I also know that there is going to be the occasional douchebag who hides behind rhetoric in order to be hateful. I also know this situation is extremely complicated with history and experiences going back for thousands of years. I also know people have things they need to learn and things they need to unlearn and that process might take more than a week.

But before we go firing and censuring and yelling at other people, all I ask is, look at who they really are, what they are really trying to say, where they are coming from, be patient and understanding with them, and try to assume they are coming from a place of good before you assume they are coming from a place of hate.

[ablednt]

"You can't remove Jewish people from Israel because they're not safe anywhere else"

1. Returning sovereignty to Palestine does not equal expelling everyone else, they'd become citizens of Palestine. The idea that restoring sovereignty doesn't equal colonizing the colonizers is a basic concept of the Land Back movement please actually listen to people

2. You can say that being israeli and being Jewish are synonymous as long as you want but it won't erase antizionist Jews OR Palestinian Jews

3. Imagine thinking Israel is safe for Jewish people like. The whole reason y'all are so loud about october 7th is because it shattered the illusion that Israel is a safe place except instead of considering that a nation that actively and violently displaces people is generating that hostility itself you blame the evil brown people for wanting their homes back

4. Even if Israel was some magical perfect utopia free of antisemitism, if that comes at the cost of violent oppression of the native people then yeah I don't care the same way I don't care when people in the US are afraid of Land Back movements because "they'll do to us what we did to them". Get the fuck over it. Yk like you've been making them do for decades to centuries.

5. To reiterate here when you say that Israeli occupation must stay in power to protect Jewish people everywhere you are quite literally saying "my safety is more important than Palistinian's" and "my life is worth more than theirs" like it's not doing you any favors

Don't get me wrong the world is a terrifying place especially if you're marginalized, especially if you're Jewish, I am not going to deny that or to minimize the centuries of generational trauma and ongoing oppression that Jewish people face. I don't blame you for wanting to prioritize your own community's safety. I just don't think that your need for safety (especially everyone who's never even been to Israel but needs the Israeli state as a symbol of safety rather than a current reality of it) outweighs Palestinian's needs for safety.

"Being Jewish is traumatizing my friend has trauma over being bombed" that's really awful and I feel for them. I also feel for the thousands of children with amputated limbs because Israel is bombing them. Right now. As I type this.

"Jewish people have been displaced for generations we lost our homes" yes and that's extremely traumatizing, everyone deserves to have a home and to feel truly safe and like they belong there. Millions of Palestinian's who made new homes after their real ones were stollen are now living in tents that are still being bombed and shot at.

It's absolutely not that Jewish people's safety shouldn't be a priority or that it's at all okay to pretend that being Jewish is what gives any Israeli their privileges or to equivalate Jewishness to oppressiveness.

It's not even to say that Israel's existence as a colonial project is uniquely evil or that the US is exempt from that same scrutiny (like all the white americans parroting "the only good colonizer is a dead colonizer" without a hint of self awareness)

It's that a nation built on the blood of another's will never truly be stable or safe for anyone. You can stall the violence but it will return eventually and even the most oppressed people Will Fight Back.

I will add to this to any fellow goyim though that whilst you fight for Palestine you should also be fighting to create safe places and communities for Jewish people where you live. The only way to combat the rhetoric that only Israel is safe (when it never has been and never will be) is to prove that there's safety and community to be found elsewhere.

It's important to listen to Jewish people and to take their fears into genuine consideration and act on that. What is never okay is allowing their fears to thrive at the expense of Palestinian lives.

[alexbkrieger13]

A bit long but:

Israel pulled out of the Gaza Strip in 2005 after the Oslo agreements and gave it to the Palestinians.

In 2007, Hamas were elected democratically by the Palestinian people and since then Israel started to suffer rockets flaying into Israeli towns and terror tunnels under Israeli towns. Qatar been funding Hamas with Billion for years and instead of taking care of the Palestinian people Hamas uses it for terror. Hamas is another proxy of Iran, so Israel knows if she won’t keep an eye of air\sea shipments weapons can come to the hand of Hamas. Before the 7th of October a lot of Palestinians worked in Israel (but of course Israelis can’t work in Gaza) 

I feel like people memory is short but the Hamas atrocities were something that was never seen, attacking people in their homes, in their beds, burning people and so on and so on, on a holly jewish holiday, the media obviously haven’t shown the harsh pictures cause it’s too much but Hamas spokesman said openly they will do it again and again + took 240 hostages ( from the age of 8 months to 90 year old) and there are still 136 hostages there. 

If Hamas were to surrender on the 8th of October and released the hostages Israel wouldn’t attack them and that’s the point .Israel does not target civilians only Hamas people, but when Hamas uses it’s own people as human shields and hides among them or hides in hospitals it’s hard. They don’t care about their own people, they want the civilian casualties because they want those protests.

 After 9/11 the US attacked in Afgenishtan and killed 400K and did way less about civilians causalities. people didn’t think “oh this is a genocide” because they knew they have to eliminate “al qaeda” 

In a wild world I feel like if a terror organization would take over Sweden and they would attack Norway and take it’s own people , and then Norway would fight back no one would tell them anything, there’s just different standards to Israel. 

If Hamas still in power it will happen again for Israel because that’s their goal and there will be never chance for peace. For me, most of the people don’t know what they are protecting about and just chanting catchy songs. 

I think that if the world would’ve taken all this energy and put a pressure on Hamas to release the hostages and to surrender than you can start talking about peace and compromises but you can't make peace with terror organization who says in it’s charter they want jews dead. 

And the antisemitism in Europe doesn’t help. 

I value every human life Palestinian and Israeli, and everyone deserve the chance for a better life and a chance for peace, but it feels like people using this to their own cause, don’t fully understand and ignoring the fact that there still young girls, men, kids that are hostages in tunnels, without food, possibly being raped and Hamas refuses to give them any medicine and people call this resistance, there was a ceasfiire on October 6th.

Also, the UN has always been against Israel because it’s comfortable but where were all those people when Asad, Syria president killed it’s own people since 2011 using chemical weapon against children? The world is pretty hypocrite place.

I suggests everyone to think how they would expect their country to react when a terror organization comes into your home, kills your parents, take you siblings as hostages as says they will do it again and again. Would you feel safe to live there if the terror oraganization still a few kms from you?

So my advice would be not to read headlines on the news or people short tweets but go behind that..

https://www.tumblr.com/alexbkrieger13/750202937720094720/i-truly-dont-understand-all-this-no-one-was?source=share

Oh yea you really have to go look at the history and the players involved. There's a lot of good books about was going on there and why we're in the position that we are now but it is incredibly complicated

[sunbeamedskies]

Taika Waititi is an amazing Polynesian Māori Jewish writer/actor/director who has provided us with so much joy through Thor, Our Flag Means Death, and much more. One way you can support him is by working to be a better ally to Jews. Unfortunately I have seen a rise in antisemitism in the LGBTQ+ community and social justice circles in recent years. Here are some things to consider:

1) How has the fact that Jews only comprise .2% of the world’s population and 2% of the American population influenced what I know about their history and the Israeli-Palestinian conflict? The lack of Jewish voices in many groups is alarming, with non-Jews making many false claims about our history and current events, such as calling Israel “white supremacist,” as if all Jews are white. Non-mixed race ashkenazis are at most conditionally white (there are many ways for us to self identify- we don’t have an exact, official place when discussing race), while all other Jews can be considered people of color. Systemic racism can exist without explicitly being white supremacist. Both Jews and Palestinians are indigenous to the land, and following @rootsmetals on Instagram will give you even more info about it all. You must also learn how to separate the Israeli people and culture from the actions of the Israeli government - many Israelis are against their government, and approximately half of the world's entire Jewish population lives in Israel

2) How safe would Jews feel in the movements I’m apart of? Be honest with yourself - if you see things that are antisemitic or borderline antisemitic get thrown around constantly, the odds are that they would not feel safe or valued. I  constantly see horrible things get retweeted and posted from socialist/communist accounts, general social justice activists, and some fellow LGBTQ+ folk unfortunately. It has gotten to the point where whenever I see a hammer and sickle in someone’s profile, I brace myself to see some antisemitic shit, and 99% of the time if I scroll for a little while, I find it. It is sad that both hardcore anti-capitalists and hardcore capitalists often view Jews as being an enemy, even though they are supposed to be the complete opposites of each others’ ideologies. Existing in an antisemitic echo chamber is dangerous and should have no place in ANY movement. There are many Jewish members of the LGBTQ+ community as well, and if you want to read about an antisemitic incident that is emblematic of the problems in some queer communities, go look up what happened with the Chicago Dyke March

3) Do I talk about and/or post about antisemitism often enough, or only after a synagogue shooting/literal nazi rally? I rarely see non-Jews stick up for Jews on the internet or in real life much except for the occasions mentioned. We are still targeted often in hate crimes, and the complete silence from others is telling of how much we are truly valued. You cannot dismantle white supremacy without unlearning antisemitism. True intersectional social justice means speaking up for us on a regular basis. Start following Jewish accounts to stay up to date and challenge yourself on your internal biases, and educate people in your communities. I post a lot on my Instagram @JenniferKleinArt , and there are so many other wonderful accounts both on Tumblr and Instagram to follow

Even though this post is mostly about antisemitism, you can also support Taika by learning more about the Māori people and following other Māori creators. Many people outside of New Zealand don’t know much about them, but they are the indigenous people of New Zealand

[scartale-an-undertale-au]

With everything happening to Israel, I hope you’re ok

thank you :D i’m fortunately mostly safe from what’s happening. i only had a siren once and heard the booms only several times and i don’t live near the areas where the riots and lynches are happening.

here is my rant about the situation

sadly, though, i do have to read a lot of posts from ignorant people who clearly haven’t done any research into the situation (i.e. don’t live in it, didn’t watch the israeli news, or plain just believes whatever pallywood posts). i don’t have much influence sadly but i have to make things clear to people who might be confused - the situation began because of people unbelieving that they live in a society and do, in fact, have to act like it. it started in six houses where the residents were evicted because they weren’t paying rent for decades despite the agreements and somehow they turned it into a international thing. then rioters were throwing rocks from the mosque and running into it when the soldiers came and were like ‘how dare they go into a holy place’ while they cowardly threw rocks from a mosque* on ramadaan like, wow, talk about desecrating a holy place. 

and ofc the whole hamas shooting thousands of rockets into israel, with a third of its rockets landing in gaza killing many gazans. idf attacking high profile hamas operators and warning citizens of the buildings they were going to bomb because what a surprise, hamas hides behind its citizens and then blames it on israel. we literally have a history of giving medical treatment to gazans, i don’t know how else to tell people that we give a crap. because we could have literally erased gaza from the earth. also the reason they dont have electricity? one of the rockets hit the power line. karma is a bitch but sadly it harms the citizens more than the actual bastards in hamas. btw, those rockets? those tunnels that they built to get into israel? all those villas to the leaders? where do you think the money came from? they came from all the money that was given for the citizens. the citizens saw none of it.

also, anyone calling gaza an open air prison is an idiot who never opened an atlas because they think all gaza’s borders are in israel.

well, boo boo, wrong! its southern border is with *drums roll* egypt. which, btw, actually blocks the border from anything. so, like, once again, israel gets the heat for being pushovers, great.

we had sadly jews attacking and lynching on arabs and that something that should never have happened and i’ll never be happy that those things happened. but it didn’t happen in a bubble. it wasn’t also the only kind of attacks that happened. arabs attacking and lynching on cars, on people. they burned down synagogues! they burned down holy places with torah scrolls that were destroyed and the pictures literally look like the  Kristallnacht in 1938. one time, an arab saw it happening and managed to save the torah scrolls and omg, what an amazing guy. but still, so many holy scriptures were burnt and destroyed. the images are horrifying and i’m crying by just remembering. because israel is supposed to be the place jews would feel safe finally. we were supposed to be safe from progroms, from lynching, from our holy places being treated like firewood.

you have the right extremities attacking arabs, and you have jews unable to decide if they should stay at their homes during a siren and risk being hit by a rocket or brave the mamad (bunker) with their arab neighbors that are suddenly hostile to the point of attacking.

israel was never perfect. we have so much to improve and racism is still an issue. but also remember that we are less than 75 years old. it took the usa over 200 years to even begin to deal with its racism. we had to deal with so many wars just to exist and we don’t have the benefit of the sea as a barrier. you can literally drive down south and suddenly find yourself in jordan.

but the fact that the world immediately decided that we’re the bad guys no matter how much we strive to do good and for peace despite everyone wanting us gone (not in a different state, gone. dead. in the goddamn sea.).

the world is treating the palestinians like little babies who can do no harm. i hate to break it to them, but they can and did do a whole lot of harm. a lot of israeli arabs have helped israeli jews in so many cases in the past and present. a lot of medical professionals are arabs. they came to help after the tragedy in meron mountain. a lot of amazing stories of them being kind and true brethren. a lot of stories of co-existing. but they were literally crumbled down to nothing when suddenly the mixed cities began exploding with lynches and attacks and just pure terror. bedouins blocking one of the main roads to be’er sheba. electricity boxes being destroyed, leaving many people (mainly israeli jews) without it and no batteries or internet

i’m ranting now because if i have to read another post crying over palestinians children being harmed and then sneering at israeli people for existing and wishing for their deaths, i will literally go to them to shoot their legs myself (don’t know how, but i will) because children are already showing signs of extreme ptsd, of anxiety. the south (especially the area around the border with gaza) had been dealing with constant rockets for 20 years. children grow up so traumatized they can’t be soldiers because the sound of a gun going off sends them into a panic attack.

like, the usa is asking israel and hamas to have a cease fire, but it keeps basically looking at israel to back down and i’m so in the mood to say ‘no. i say, get the citizens out and just raze the place down’ even if it’s impossible to actively do. i’m done with sjw thinking they’re so woke and amazing for supporting the palestinians while they’re actually supporting the destruction of israel over all and the jews in particular.

because guess what? antisemitism have never been more in fashion.

(i’m sorry for going off on an adorable anon wanting to see me safe, but thank you for letting me go off like that. i needed to rant. also, anyone spreading hate should be ashamed)

p.s. anyone wanting to rant about apartheid or occupied territory, go open a dictionary or a history book on what actual apartheid is and then go check the archeological evidence of jews having occupied the land of israel before islam was a thing and even before christianity was a thing. especially how the dome of the rock was built on the temple mount. on top of what used to be the holy temples for the jews. you also always had jews living in israel in small numbers. we were never truly gone from the land of israel.

p.s.s. a good video i found that summarizes mostly well is ‘geography now-israel’. it’s not perfect but it gets the point across.

[ruminativerabbi]

Vulnerability

Vulnerability has a bad rep in our world. In fact, what we all long for is precisely the opposite: to feel invulnerable, impervious to incoming danger, safe and secure not only when we hide under our beds in the dark of night but when we are out and about in the world. But we—speaking of society as a whole but also of us ourselves as individuals—we may have moved a bit quickly in that regard and not sufficiently thoughtfully. Being paralyzed with fear about dangers that are highly unlikely to come our way—that kind of vulnerability is definitely something negative that all who can should avoid. But owning up to the vulnerability that inheres in the human condition itself is in a different category entirely. As this last pandemic year has taught us all too well, it is only a sign of maturity and self-awareness to own up to the degree to which we can fall prey to a virus so tiny that you’d need an electron microscope to see it at all and to behave accordingly. And waving away that danger as fake news because you don’t choose to acknowledge your own vulnerability is not a sign of courage or valor, but of lunacy born of a witch’s brew of foolishness, naiveté, and arrogance.

As I prepared myself for surgery last week, I was feeling exceedingly vulnerable. I lay in bed at night talking to my heart, asking why it wasn’t just doing its thing properly on its own, why it was intent on betraying me after all these years of me not burdening it by smoking cigarettes or consuming huge quantities of trans fat. Didn’t I deserve better? I certainly thought I did! But now that the whole procedure is behind me and I’m feeling healthy and fortunate to live in an age of miracles (and if having a non-functioning valve in your heart replaced without them having to open your chest and then being sent home the next day to recuperate doesn’t qualify as a miracle, then what would?)—now that all that is behind me, I see that intense vulnerability that I was feeling in the days leading up to last Thursday in a much less negative light. Yes, there are people who live in terror of an asteroid colliding with the Earth. (For NASA’s own statement about the likelihood of that happening, click here. We’re apparently good for at least the next couple of centuries.) But that’s not the kind of slightly obsessive vulnerability I want to promote as healthy and sane, but rather the kind that speaks not to fantasy but to reality. To the fact that our hearts are not made of steel and that our bones really do crack quite easily. To the fact that, despite all we do to suggest that the opposite is true, we are mortal beings lucky to be gifted with a few score years to wander the earth, to do whatever good we can, to leave behind some sort of legacy for our descendants to contemplate positively once we ourselves are no longer around to be contemplated in person. Feeling vulnerable because the human condition is vulnerability itself—that isn’t craziness or obsessivity, just an honest appraisal of how things are in this world we all share for as long as we do.

These were the thoughts I had in mind as I read the report in the paper the other day about people coming to shul last Shabbat on 16th Avenue in Boro Park last week only to be greeted by men gathered in front of the synagogue screaming “Kill the Jews” and “Free Palestine.” Which kind of vulnerable did those people feel, I wonder—the silly kind (because there weren’t that many hooligans in front of the synagogue, because the cops showed up almost instantly, because the bad guys didn’t actually have guns with them or bombs, and because they fled the scene once they realized how completely outnumbered they were about to become) or the wise kind rooted in a fully rational appraisal of how things are in this world we share with so many who seem to feel entirely justified in their bigotry and prejudice and who appear mostly to have no problem putting both on full display for all to admire? (For an account of the Boro Park incident, click here.) I’m hardly an alarmist who sees a pogrom around every corner. But, of course, it’s hardly an example of alarmism to be alarmed when truly alarming things happen. Maybe I’ve read too many books about Germany in the 1930s. Or maybe not.

We have entered into a new stage, a dangerous and upsetting one. At first, the stories appeared random. A twenty-nine-year-old man wearing a kippah was beat up in Times Square as he tried to make his way to a pro-Israel rally. Then, a day or two later, a group of thugs wearing keffiyehs invaded a restaurant on 40th Street and started spitting on patrons they suspected of being Jewish. Next we heard about people being attacked in the Diamond District on 47th Street, where it isn’t ever hard to come across some Jewish businesspeople or shoppers.  Two days later we were back in Times Square, this time watching footage of a Jewish man being knocked to the ground and beaten in front of the TKTS buttke where they used to sell last-minute tickets to unsold-out Broadway shows when the theaters were open.  Nor is this just a New York thing: the police in L.A. are currently investigating an attack on outside diners at a Japanese restaurant as an anti-Semitic hate crime that occurred the same day that a family of four was terrorized in Bal Harbour, Florida, by a group of men threatening to rape the wife and daughter and yelling “Die Jews” and “Free Palestine” at them. I could go on. There have been similar incidents in New Jersey, Illinois, Utah, Arizona, and several other states. And although I’m focused here mostly on American incidents, the rise in this kind of hate crime is not specifically an American phenomenon: we’ve read of similar, even worse, incidents just lately in London, in Germany, and in Italy.

The question is how to respond, not whether we should. The fantasy that complaining only makes things worse needs to be laid to rest permanently and irrevocably. (The Jewish community could learn a good lesson in that regard from Black America, where it was once also imagined that responding publicly to racism would only make things worse. It’s hard to imagine any Black citizens putting that argument forth today, yet I hear it from Jewish Americans regularly.) Nor can we allow ourselves the luxury of imagining that this dramatic uptick in anti-Jewish violence is “about” Israel. Israel’s recent war with Hamas was, in my opinion, entirely justified. I can see how people might feel otherwise, and even strongly so. But I know too much history—and specifically too much Jewish history—to indulge in the fantasy that anti-Semitism is “about” anything other than the hatred of Jewish people, Judaism, and Jewishness itself. No matter how many shows an actor appears in, he’s the same person under all of the costumes he gets paid to wear on stage.

I myself have lived a blessed life. Born just eight and a half years after the Nazis were murdering up to twelve thousand people a day at Auschwitz, I have hardly ever encountered real anti-Semitism directed directly at me personally. (And I speak as someone who spent several years living in Germany in the 1980s.) Nonetheless, sensitivity to anti-Jewish rhetoric and violence is the hallmark of my Jewishness, the foundation upon which my eager willingness to live my life as a public, fully-identified, and unambiguously-identifiable Jewish person rests. And that is why I am disinclined to wave away the latest series of anti-Semitic incidents in New York and elsewhere as a random set of creepy one-time events—nor would anyone describe that way who has ever read a book about the history of anti-Judaism or anti-Semitism. For people eager to dine at my table, I recommend Walter Laqueurs’s The Changing Face of Anti-Semitism: From Ancient Times to the Present Day  as your appetizer, Léon Poliakov’s four-volume History of Anti-Semitism as your main course with a side serving of David Nirenberg’s Anti-Judaism: The Western Tradition. For dessert, I  recommend Deborah Lipstadt’s Antisemitism: Here and Now. I can promise you that you won’t be hungry when you’re done.

There have been encouraging signs too, of course. President Biden has spoken out sharply and strongly against the uptick in anti-Semitic incidents, calling them despicable and condemning them unequivocally as “hateful behavior.” We have heard similarly supportive rhetoric from Governor Cuomo, Mayor Di Blasio, Senators Schumer and Gillibrand. So that’s good. But will any of the actual sonim out to harm Jews hold back because of a presidential tweet or a senatorial press release?  On the other hand, there were seventeen thousand tweets disseminated by Twitter last week that contained some version of the words “Hitler was right.” Just wait until they find out that the President considers them despicable!

I don’t mean to sound unhappy that supportive, unambiguous language denouncing anti-Semitism has emanated from the highest offices in the land. Just to the contrary, I am thrilled that our leadership has spoken out so boldly and clearly. But I also don’t imagine it will matter until it is deemed just as unacceptable to speak disparagingly about Jews in public as it is—at least in all places that decent people gather and live—to espouse hate-fueled violence against Black people or Asian-Americans, or any other American minority. And that will take—at least in some quarters—a sea change of attitude that can only be accomplished through the kind of ongoing educative process capable of moving society forward. How to do that, I’m not sure. But I am sure that that is the challenge the new normal has laid at our feet. And I am as sure about that as I am that these recent incidents, for all they come dressed up as part of the Israeli-Palestinian controversy, have nothing at all to do with Middle Eastern politics and everything to do with the unique place anti-Jewishness continues to occupy in Western culture as the one remaining version of bigotry to which otherwise normal and nice people can still openly subscribe without suffering much for their views. Or at all.

[nataliesnews]

Riots, demonstration in Kikar Zion, siren 12.5.2021

Netanyahu is no fool….he is very very clever and many of us had a suspicion of what he was leading up to. I would not be surprised if he calls a state of emergency and continues with his vicious policy of not caring for the county but doing his best to keep himself, his mentally ill wife and son out of jail. Sara Netanyahu once said she did not care if the country burned…and they have succeeded in bringing us to that pass. The first picture is a quote of hers from 2002…… “We will go overseas and the country can burn” and the second a cartoon saying “I said we would leave for overseas and then the country can burn….NOT BEFORE”

    This is a horrible morning. I am trying to put my thoughts into place. The whole country is burning. Tel Aviv. Suddenly after all the years of the south suffering and as they say, they were invisible it has become serious. I doubt that in Jerusalem there will be many more rockets. Maybe because of the holy places, Christian and Moslem, maybe because of the large Palestinian community. I feel guilty as I sit here quietly writing.

 Netanyahu has done a good job of seeing the Israel on fire. Closing the steps at the Damascus gate …so obvious it would lead to troubles. He knew that he only had to give a small push and with his friend the minister of police everything would develop as it suited him. The news media has also been given its instructions and except for Ha’aretz no other paper mentions what is happening on the other side. Today a comment was passed which many people probably did not hear or take in. That the army would target high rise buildings……in which many families live. The army gave messages for people to evacuate……where were they supposed to go and how many of them actually got the message as we have taken care to destroy much of their communication.

 Sunday I did not feel well and it was a furnace outside. Since the episode where I had memory loss and then straight after that had a cold ….many people here dafke in summer are also sick with colds….I feel a lack of desire to do anything.  So  I only went to the shiva for Cecelia in the evening.  My Spanish teacher. I doubt I will go on trying to learn Spanish. I feel as if something has gone out of me. I had a special relationship with her and she was also my friend. I cannot imagine another teacher or a group. And at the shiva it seems that many of her other students felt the same. And every day I hear from someone else who had studied with her.

 Monday I went out with Tag Maier to distribute flowers in the Old City to Palestinians. It was a difficult today because seldom do Ramadan and Jerusalem Day coincide.

 But this is no united city. So divided, Right and left, Palestians, Jews, Hareidi Jews, …united? And yesterday the schism was even clearer. The religious youth took over the city and their arrogance was unbearable. Some of our members gave flowers to them and when I asked one why she had done so, she said she had many interesting exchanges with some of them who did not even know what we were doing or why. But I saw some of them throwing the  flowers into the rubbish bins. No Palestinian refused us and accepted with a smile.

 In the evening I went to my Arabic lesson. I get a lift with Gershon and Edna Baskin and we had just sat down when we heard  a siren. It was faint at first and we looked at one another in bewilderment. Then we heard three loud bangs and realized it was serious. I wondered what was happening in Nofim. I wondered how all these people here, many of whom are less mobile and quick than I am even on the sticks would get down to a shelter. Later I saw the post that one should look for a safe place in your flat as there is very little time between the siren and the fall. So that question is where. My bedroom ….the glass door is next to the bed. The lounge….the windows again. The bathroom….the mirror and the tiles. The corridor is maybe the safest but there are all the painting and photographs in glass. I think the best place for me is next to my door and to put a blanket over myself. I am just sorry for the really old and incapacitated with their carers.  We spent the lesson learning all the words necessary for such an occasion. We came home to a quiet night and then all hell broke through.  Later: My cleaning lady said I should go and sit on the steps between one floor and another.

 Coming back there was an amusing incident. As I got out of the car I saw two girls putting coke tins next to the rubbish and I told them to give them to me. I explained to them what it was for and then the one girl said to me, “Are you from Balfour? Were you at Sheik Jarrar.” And again I know you have all been writing to me to stay home but when two teenagers tell me that they look up to me and for them it is important to see me at these places what can I say? Truly I don’t think I am in any danger. I keep to the sides or anything going on and I doubt that even our violent police would attack an old woman. But whom I am scared of is groups like Lahava or those yesterday on the march of the religious. I feel the hatred around us as I did last night with people calling us haters of Israel and traitors and bitches who fuck Arabs.

 Yesterday I went to the doctor as the time has come to deal with a hearing problem I have and then to the DCO which was very quiet. There is a young soldier there who has been very sympathetic towards us and is now being transferred. He brought his replacement out and this I do not put in my report. Nadav says that when he leave the army he will join Breaking the Silence. He said that his replacement is a good fellow so we are hoping that we will have the same relationship with him.

  I came home and then went to a play. “The Comedians.” It was very funny but I laughed looking at the audience as it was so appropriate for many of us. From a play by Neil Simon about two once famous comedians who are  now uber bottled. When I went out I asked three people to tell the organizer of the transport that I would not be joining them. Later she phoned in anger to ask why I was not on the bus!!! It was so appropriate. I had sat down to phone a friend and when I got up to leave the theatre which was by then pretty deserted I saw a really old lady with her carer sitting outside looking desperate. It turned out that the theatre had ordered a taxi for them and another couple had jumped in and taken it. Being the celebration of Id Il Fitir there were few Arab taxis and they are  a large part of the taxis in Jerusalem.  In the end I stayed with them until I managed to stop a taxi and put them on the way home. I gave them the number of Gett taxi which is more reliable.

 I walked down to the city and stopped at Balfour where some of the stalwarts were sitting. The demonstration at Kikar Zion started off with few people but soon grew. There was no talk of a march but then people did start walking down the main street and also on the tracks of the light train. I did not think that that was a good idea and walked along with them but on the pavement. The police arrived but did nothing. Then we came to Kikar Zion, to the square,  where we gathered and in no way were we disturbing pedestrians, the train or anything else. Then the police decided to attack. I think because where we were walking before there were passers by and wanted it to be where they had us to themselves. First of all they started pushing people back but then we saw that they had brought in the dogs and what dogs. Their trainers could hardly control them and the dogs also started fighting amongst themselves. You can understand how dangerous they were. They were real killers.  I have no photographs as everything was very volatile there and I did not want to put my sticks down. They also tried to sic them on to some people. Then they came with the horses….enormous . You have no idea. My question is why when we were obstructing traffic did they do nothing but attack us when we were not bothering anyone else.

 In the meantime Lahava and the other young fascists had started screaming at us…the police kept us separated but when the police managed to drive us off they left them celebrating in the square.

 I always stand to the back at such times but Eitemar who has stood with us at our demonstrations at Nofim refused to leave me and when one of the policemen seemed to be heading straight for us called to him and said that he was standing with me. He is one of those who is very watchful for me but I tell them to go and do their own thing as I do not want to be a drag on anyone. Last night I yelled at them and said that for 81 years I had been looking out for myself and I could still do so. But when the shunk came we were all away.

 Natalie

       .

[my-husbands-catholic]

These words are offered as something you might like to share around the Shabbat table this evening. May all our homes be filled with the sense of the presence of our embracing and sustaining tradition.

Shabbat shalom

This week’s Torah portion includes the verses that have been incorporated into our prayer book as the prayer-poem V’Shamru. The words from the book of Exodus (31:16-17) say, : “The people of Israel shall keep the sabbath throughout the ages as a covenant for all time: it shall be a sign for all time between Me and the people of Israel.” As part of the shabbat worship services, these verses serve to remind us how tradition arises from a special relationship between us and God and between and among us as a people.

V’shamru has a “sister song,” Ki eshmera Shabbat (one of Carli Sussman’s favorites!) which says: “If I observe the Shabbat, God will protect me. It is an eternal sign between Him and me.” The words were written by the Jewish scholar, Abraham Ibn Ezra who was born in Spain in 1089 and lived there until the last chapter of his life from 1140 to 1164 which he spent moving from country to country.

The two passages, both from our shabbat worship, seem to dovetail together. Inasmuch as we keep Shabbat, as Jews Shabbat keeps us; it keeps us connected and it is its own reward. As these two passages show, this basic meaning of shabbat to the Jewish people has been part of our spiritual DNA from biblical times, and even as it evolved, it continued to hold true in the Spanish Jewish experience of the middle ages. The two passages remind us of the importance of the people as a group and the importance of the individual in keeping the group. If each of us stops observing shabbat, all of us will lose the sense of shabbat as part of the fabric of the Jewish world.

The converse of this is also apparent to anyone who has been in Jerusalem on Shabbat. The city itself shuts down and observes. The city keeps the people as the people keep shabbat, and the city keeps shabbat as each individual cannot help but slow down and observe. There is nothing more clear in Jerusalem than the rhythm of shabbat. It is hard to find the exception; a place to buy a coffee is hard to find.

What we learn from experiencing shabbat in Jerusalem for the first time is how much our observance is bolstered by observing something in collectivity. And the absence of that is one of the key challenges of the current situation in which we all find ourselves.

But just as being together has always been a source of strength for the Jews so too is it central to our tradition to find strength and nourishment by going inside. In our meditative practice, but also in our spiritual understanding of the idea central to Torah of the building of the mishkan or dwelling place of God, we explore the way in which we can understand this endeavor as a description of what happens when we create and explore the internal sacred space of the inner being, the sanctuary of the soul. A very solitary prospect.

Our shabbat services also remind us that the main point of coming together in prayer as a community is to then take the peace of shabbat back home and to spread the peace of shabbat to those gathered around the shabbat table. Our endeavor these days is clearly to spread the peace of shabbat… and to spread that only!

But the home, the sanctuary of the soul, the inner depth, these are Jewish places that never leave us. One of my favorite shabbat prayers is Hashkeveinu. It is based on a reading that was originally found in the Seder Rav Amram from about the year 860 CE. At that time, a community in Spain reached out to the eminent scholar, Rav Amram and they asked for advice on the organization of their evening worship service. His response was one of the earliest known written siddurs. And his words sing us into feeling at peace and protected. The prayer as we sing it asks God to grant us the privilege to lie down in peace and to awaken in the morning to life renewed. It calls upon God to spread over us a shelter of peace, a sukkat sh’lomecha. It says to God, please watch over us in our coming into our homes and in our going out. Be with us, the prayer beseeches, in our daily lives and in our uncertainties. Help us to feel sheltered and protected, embraced and loved. Written in the 9th century, it is a prayer for the ages and a prayer for our times.

In all the years our people have existed, we have recognized how being Jewish preserves and protects, connects and nourishes us. Taking the time to acknowledge God and to pause for Shabbat fulfills its own promise because by doing this we preserve and protect, connect and nourish.

Some of the things which we are being forced to forego at this time (even if it is our favorite sporting event or cultural activity) when it is swept from the horizon of the to do list, will leave room for some things which simply will not disappear. Love. Friendship. Connection. Creativity. Divinity. One another.

The time periods from which our tradition speaks to us so eloquently were in fact times of great collective suffering and uncertainty. There were plagues and inquisitions and rampant disease spreading. I don’t think it is by accident that Torah and prayer speak to us of our innate need to feel safe in times of these types of crisis. But the study of Torah and prayer are not alarmist undertakings. They are resources to connect with our resiliency and our potential. When things that seem essential fall, some things that are truly crucial may simply become more apparent.

We need one another. That is what we feel most acutely perhaps right now. As we feel isolated, anxious, alone, uncertain. But we have one another. That is the knowing that holds us up. We have one another. We have voices that have been singing to us and speaking to us for thousands of years. We have been given a gift of time. Shabbat has come to more than just Jerusalem tonight. Tonight, the sanctuary where we pray will be the inner seat of our soul. But entering it, while it may seem daunting, has perhaps never been easier. If you cannot find the words, listen to those whispered by traditions. Shabbat will embrace us when we embrace it. Observing shabbat will offer an occasion to be still with ourselves and perhaps be closer to God. As v’shamru says, in six days God created the heavens and the earth, but on the seventh day, God ceased from work and renewed.

We need renewal and nourishing to face the days and weeks ahead. Just as we always have, on this shabbat, we need shabbat, the sheltering presence of peace from God. In stepping into it, may we all be renewed and restored, in knowing that we are not alone. Shabbat shalom

[laineystein]

I know that the media would have you believing that war is constant and ruthless but sometimes it’s a lot of sitting around and waiting for orders. And a lot of talking. Really introspective talking. And the things that people say when there’s a very real chance that they might die, are probably the most poignant and well said. So here’s a conversation my unit had in a million different ways with a million different words:

We love beings Jews. We love being Israeli. We can’t imagine being anything else or belonging to any other group. But this statistic that we are 0.2% of the worlds population has been so much more than a statistic lately. We all feel it. We feel how so much of the world has turned their backs on us — how the same people that posted those stupid blue squares on instagram are now using language that calls for our genocide and the destruction of our homeland. We know that for so many people we are pawns in their political game. We know that so many people think we are sub-human and therefore deserving of less respect than any other person. We don’t need anyone to tell us what they think of us because so many people are showing us by what they’re doing or not doing. And that’s okay. We’re used to it. We’ve always been alone. We’ve always fought (and won) our own battles. We’ll win this one without any of you. It’s fine. But it makes me think about how the same people that alienate us are the ones that critique how we live in insular communities (like the neighborhood I grew up in Crown Heights) and how our religion is closed and how we don’t need a place (read: Israel) where we all live together (assumedly because no other group has such a place — which is just a total lie). And there’s this thought amongst many Jews that communities like the one I grew up in in Brooklyn exist as a result of the persecution we faced. Just like there’s this thought that Israel exists because of the Holocaust. The survivors of the worst thing that can happen to a group decided to live together and close out the outside world. Now I’d argue that we certainly haven’t closed anyone out in Israel - I’m currently serving with Israelis that are Arab and Druze. But is our country very Jew-centric? Absolutely. Just like Crown Heights is very Jew-centric. Goyim can/do live and visit Crown Heights but it is a place that caters to what is otherwise considered a counter-culture in America. Just like Israel caters to Jews in an area of the world where all of us were expelled. We are fine living in these places. We have created these communities and curated them to our Jewish way of life. But people wonder why we close ourselves off and why we need special spaces - and that same ignorance is the answer. Sure, our diets are different and we have laws about how we go to school and work and pray that make it very difficult to live in a non-Jewish world but there’s a very real truth that so many people are scared to say aloud so I will: We don’t trust goyim. Goyim have never stood up for us or protected us. Only we can keep ourselves safe. Only we truly care about our wellbeing. We do not feel safe around goyim. And I think we have every right to be distrustful. We have every right to think that our survival and security rests solely in our fellow Jew. So while this has all proven that the Jewish people are amazing and loving and stronger than even we knew, it’s also only cemented this idea that we absolutely need our own world. And it’s clear that we’ve essentially lived in our own world all this time anyway - our world view is not your world view. Our experiences are so incredibly different than the goy experience. If you’re not Jewish and especially if you’re not an Israeli Jew, you can’t possibly understand any of this. And that’s fine! But don’t get angry when, in the absence of your support, we’ve figured it out. And don’t be upset when your Jewish friends - Israeli or not - have pushed you away because you didn’t show up in the way they’d hoped. You’ve merely proven us right. We do not need you. Our communities are enough. Our country is enough. Together, we will outlive you.

[gabagabaink]

Rory Regan x Jewish! reader

Words: 1,839

Y/N = Your Name

A/N: This is just a little something I’ve been working on, sorry if it sucks. I wrote the reader as a religious, Sephardic Jew, and this is set at about mid/end season 5ish?

Enjoy! 

‘God, all I want are some Doritos, but nooo. Doritos aren’t kosher in the U.S.’ Y/N thought as she walked through Star City.

Y/N was in Star City to talk to a tech start-up that the law firm she worked at saw as a potential client. She had just left her things at the hotel she was staying at, and was looking for something to eat. She came across a coffee shop that had a kosher symbol in the window and decided to go in.

Whilst Y/N was deciding what to order, she heard a familiar voice. She turned around and saw a face she hadn’t seen in a long time, over by a table, sitting with two others.

‘Ho. Ly. SHIT.’ she thought. ‘Is that Rory?’

Y/N had gone to high school with Rory. They used to be really good friends. They would hang out all the time. They would study together, eat lunch together, and laugh about their classmates together. Y/N and Rory were also really close to each other’s families.

When the tragedy in Havenrock occurred, Y/N’s family were no longer living in the town. However, it was her hometown and she was hit hard by it. Y/N had no way of knowing if Rory was alive and she just hoped that he had been able to get out or to get his rags. Y/N was also one of the few people who knew about the magical, ancient rags from the time of Bnei Yisrael in the desert. She had a feeling that they would have been able to keep him safe.

Just as this thought came to Y/N, a news report on the TV in the restaurant began to talk about a vigilante named the “Green Arrow” and how his group saved some citizens from an explosion. She couldn’t help but notice that one of the Green Arrow’s accomplices was a  superhero named the “Ragman”.

The report also showed a picture of what Y/N remembered being the rags that Rory inherited.

‘I can’t quite imagine Rory running around being a superhero. But at the same time, it doesn’t quite seem like something he wouldn’t do… Oh my god, he is the Ragman isn’t he!”

Now, while Y/N was contemplating this exciting, yet also a slightly distressing thought, Rory had come to realize to whom that familiar face that just walked in belonged to.

At first, he had trouble recognizing her, she had changed quite a bit from the gangly, emo-ish teen he used to know. Then again, Rory had changed a bit too. He never thought he would be running around wearing his ancestor's rags, saving people with a team of vigilantes.

‘Is that- No, it can’t be. It’s Y/N! Wow. Wait, what’s she doing here?’ he thought. Rory hadn’t been in touch with Y/N for a while. Neither of them was at fault. Stuff happens, people move away, and it can grow hard to keep in touch. Especially when one of them moves to a different country.

“Yo rags, whatcha’ lookin’ at?” questioned Rene.

Rory snapped out of his stupor. “Um, I-uh. Nothing.”

“Really?” asked Curtis. “Because it looks like you were staring at that girl.”

“I wasn’t staring”

“Uh, yeah you were,” muttered Rene before stuffing half a sandwich in his mouth.

“She’s just someone I knew in high school. I haven’t talked to her in forever.”

“You should go talk to her!” urged Curtis.

“I… Um… (sigh) ok.” Rory conceded as he got up from his chair.

“Well that was easier than I thought it would be,” said Curtis.

As Rory was on his way to Y/N, she had just made her mind to head over to his table once she got her coffee. She was on her way to his table when she realized that they were practically face-to-face.

“Oh, my- Rory! Hi, it’s so good to see you!”  Y/N said as she gave him one of her signature hugs that used to be a common gesture after bad days.

“Y/N, hi! I haven’t seen you in forever!” Rory said.

“I know! How have you been doing?”

“Good, good. I mean, losing everyone was hard, but I’m doing ok. You?”

Y/N nodded, “I’m fine Baruch Hashem. I’m so sorry for what happened to your family. I would have come to see you, but… Well, I didn’t even know that you were alive.”

“And you were in Israel,” Rory added. “It’s ok,” he said reassuringly. “And I was really happy to hear that all of your family made it out.”

“Thank you. But not all of them made it out. Your parents were practically family to me.” Y/N said softly.

“Yeah” he replied, memories of his deceased loved ones taking over his brain. “Uh, what brings you to Star City?” he stammered, bringing himself back from memory lane.

“Well, I’m working for this law firm, and they want to get this new startup… um, Helix something or other, as their client.”

“Oh, that’s awesome,” he replied, still kind of out of it. “So how long will you be in town for?”

“Well, that all depends. If the startup decides to become a client, then I’ll be here for a while, and after that, I’ll be going back home, and then I’ll be coming back every few weeks. However, if they decide not to, I’ll only be here for a little bit.”

“Oh, I hope you can get them to become clients then,” Rory said, as his brain put two and two together. “What did you say the name of the startup was again?”

“Um, Helix Dynamics.” “This is perfect!”

Y/N looked quizzically at Rory in response to this reaction, and he almost kicked himself for his lack of an explanation.

“I-um. I mean, basically, I’m friends with the people who own the startup. One of the owners is actually here at the restaurant with me. At that table over there.”

Y/N followed his gaze over to the table where Curtis was fiddling with some electronic device, and Rene was scarfing down another burger.

“Really, how do you know them?”

“Oh, I-um. We just kinda know each other. Like casual acquaintances.” Rory said, failing at coming up with a believable lie. He wasn’t really close to anyone in Star City who he would have to lie about his “vigilante-ing”, so the coming up with excuses thing was new to him.

“Anyway, let me introduce you.”

The pair walked over to the table.

“Guys, this is Y/N. Y/N, this is Rene, and that’s Curtis. Curtis is one of the owners of Helix Dynamics. Curtis, Y/N is the representative from that law firm that you and Felicity were telling us about.”  

“I also happen to have been lucky enough to be this dork’s friend in high school.” Y/N added with a smirk creeping onto her face.

Curtis stood up and shook her hand, and Rene finally swallowed his burger and greeted her.

“Nice to meet you, you said you knew Regan from high school?” Rene asked.

“Yeah,” Y/N answered. “We went to the same Jewish day school for high school, and we hung out a lot.”

“Hung out a lot?” snorted Rory. “Please, you were the daughter my mother never had. And I was at your house almost every Shabbat afternoon.”

“That is true. You’re practically Sephardic now,” she confirmed with a smile.

Curtis then invited her to sit down and the two then planned a time to meet together with Felicity about Y/N’s law firm. After finding a time, and drinking her coffee, Y/N bade the three farewell.

“Where are you staying?” Curtis asked.

Y/N told them the name of the hotel she was lodging at.

“Oh, my apartment’s near there,” Rory said happily. “I can walk you if you want.”

“Sure, lead the way.”

The two old friends headed out and left Rene and Curtis at the table by themselves.

“I ship it,” Curtis stated.

Rene rolled his eyes.

As Rory and Y/N walked to the hotel they talked and got caught up on each other’s lives. Where they’ve been, what they’ve been up to.

“So, you know why I’m here. But how did you end up in Star City?” Y/N asked him.

“Well, I was just looking for somewhere to go. After everything in Havenrock, you know? And I guess I just kind of… ended up here.”

Y/N nodded and seemed deep in thought for a few seconds. After hearing two not so believable explanations from him, it got her thinking back to the revelation she had come to moments before the two had reunited.

Whether Rory was the Ragman or not.

“Did you bring the rags? Do you still have them?”

Rory was a bit surprised by her question. He had forgotten that she even knew about them.

“Of course I have them. Why?”

“Alright, I’m just going to say it,” she looked down and took a deep breath. “Are you Ragman?”

Shocked silence.

“I just mean, I saw this thing on the news, and I remembered the rags and it just sounds like something you could get yourself into and it just kinda makes sen-”

“Yes.”

Y/N’s rambling was immediately cut off by Rory’s curt answer.

“Excuse me?”

Rory sighed looking away from her. Part of him was surprised that barely a couple hours after reuniting she would figure out his secret so quickly. But part of him was expecting this to happen. If anyone could find out that he was Ragman, it would be Y/N.

He then looked her right in the eyes and clarified that “Yes as in, I am Ragman. And yes, it is the rags.”

“I. Um… Oh.” Y/N mumbled. The shock visible on her face.

“I’m sorry for not telling you earlier, I just- we haven’t seen each other in a while, and I didn’t get a chance t-”

“It’s fine,” Y/N said soothingly, taking his hands that moments before had been flying all over the place.

“Also, just for the record, I KNEW IT!” she then exclaimed, jumping in the air a little.

Rory chuckled a little, realizing how much he had missed this wonderful human being.

The two continued on their way, with Y/N beginning to get more curious about her friend’s vigilante life.

“So what, you go around beating up bad guys?”

“Well I mean, basically? But it’s more complicated than that.”

“Of course.”

“I mean, it’s kind of awesome to be doing it. And, it’s also nice to be part of a team.”

“A crime-fighting team.”

Y/N had Rory laughing yet again. “Yeah,” he said, a smile on his face.

The pair soon came upon the hotel.

“Well, here we are,” announced Rory.

“Thank you for escorting me safely, good samaritan Ragman! You have truly gone above and beyond your call of duty.” Y/N jokingly thanked him, bowing for effect.

“At your service fair maiden,” he joked back, adding a little tilt of his head as well.

The two then went their separate ways, already eager to see each other again.

[missrkl]

The Temple Chapter Fifteen

The Fire

Rachel was a luxurious kind of woman. Despite not being cut from the same cloth as most of the Elitists, Rachel enjoyed luxury services, especially ones that offered her healing and therapeutic services, such as spa’s and massages and everything pleasurable. She may not have the greatest income, but she splurged just as expensively as the rich and famous. She believed that she deserved it because she had earned it with all the trouble that she had experienced in her life. She was still young, in her 30s so life basically had just begun for Rachel, but life was already tough, if she could have the pleasures along the way then maybe it might be bearable.

Rachel had spent a good amount of time with Berry and right now there she was on speakers corner saying something to the Ecclesiastes gang and Berry was watching “for you have been my partners in spreading the Good News about Christ from the time you first heard it until now. So it is right that I should feel as I do about all of you, for you have a special place in my heart. You share with me the special favor of God, both in my imprisonment and in defending and confirming the truth of the Good News. God knows how much I love you and long for you with the tender compassion of Christ Jesus. I pray that your love will overflow more and more, and that you will keep on growing in knowledge and understanding. For I want you to understand what really matters, so that you may live pure and blameless lives until the day of Christ’s return. May you always be filled with the fruit of your salvation—the righteous character produced in your life by Jesus Christ—for this will bring much glory and praise to God.”

‭‭Philippians‬ ‭1:5, 7-11‬ ‭NLT‬‬

Berry understood their life, they were a family, because they shared the gospel of Christ Jesus. That’s what United them, in their suffering in the name of christ. Berry liked this. He wanted to be part of this new movement of God. New movements of God always took time before catching on and being accepted by everyone. Right now the majority of the children of God had become stuck and lethargic in religious associations and cliques. They would say their events were about sharing the gospel, but if you actually went to these events the only thing you would see and hear were the celebrity gospel singers, or celebrity preachers. A lot of them had turned into TED like motivational speakers proclaiming to be speaking for Christ, or business presentations proclaiming to be gospel sharing. When you picked away at it you wouldn’t find any gospel sharing in it at all, except maybe for the invitation at the end of the meeting for people to give their life to Christ. How could people truly understand what they were giving their life to, apart from getting a fleshly desire to join a community or a group of people standing together, doing activities for some specified purpose? Berry understood because he had been a long time in this system, always about events, never about people, always about the music, never about the heart of worship. Always about the strengths of people, never about the ‘power of Yah.’ Berry watched Rachel speaking and felt something stirring within his spirit. A stirring to share to share the gospel, a stirring to rely on Adon’s spirit rather than his own strength and abilities. A stirring of fire deep within his bones, like a message was coming, similar to that of Jeremiah when he received messages from God to share to the Jews. It was like a fire burning within his bones that he could not contain. Berry heard Adon’s voice quite clearly now and this is what he heard:

“The Lord gave me this message: “I knew you before I formed you in your mother’s womb. Before you were born I set you apart and appointed you as my prophet to the nations.” “O Sovereign Lord,” I said, “I can’t speak for you! I’m too young!” The Lord replied, “Don’t say, ‘I’m too young,’ for you must go wherever I send you and say whatever I tell you. And don’t be afraid of the people, for I will be with you and will protect you. I, the Lord, have spoken!” Then the Lord reached out and touched my mouth and said, “Look, I have put my words in your mouth! Today I appoint you to stand up against nations and kingdoms. Some you must uproot and tear down, destroy and overthrow. Others you must build up and plant.””

‭‭Jeremiah‬ ‭1:4-10‬ ‭NLT‬‬

God was wanting to do some demolishing and rebuilding huh? Obviously before you could rebuild you had to demolish the old for the new to be rebuilt. Berry felt the fire within his own bones and felt the excitement coursing through his veins. Rachel got off the platform on speakers corner and approached him asking him what he thought. He shared with Rachel exactly what Adonai had told him. Rachel felt that fire within the bones transfer onto her. Partners for Christ. Forever and always, little did they know it, that they would be The Couple of Christ.

Rachel felt that fire within her bones and this is the message she heard Adonai giving her personally to share:

“The Lord gave me another message. He said, “Go and shout this message to Jerusalem. This is what the Lord says: “I remember how eager you were to please me as a young bride long ago, how you loved me and followed me even through the barren wilderness. In those days Israel was holy to the Lord, the first of his children. All who harmed his people were declared guilty, and disaster fell on them. I, the Lord, have spoken!” This is what the Lord says: “What did your ancestors find wrong with me that led them to stray so far from me? They worshiped worthless idols, only to become worthless themselves. They did not ask, ‘Where is the Lord who brought us safely out of Egypt and led us through the barren wilderness— a land of deserts and pits, a land of drought and death, where no one lives or even travels?’ “And when I brought you into a fruitful land to enjoy its bounty and goodness, you defiled my land and corrupted the possession I had promised you. The priests did not ask, ‘Where is the Lord?’ Those who taught my word ignored me, the rulers turned against me, and the prophets spoke in the name of Baal, wasting their time on worthless idols. Therefore, I will bring my case against you,” says the Lord. “I will even bring charges against your children’s children in the years to come. “For my people have done two evil things: They have abandoned me— the fountain of living water. And they have dug for themselves cracked cisterns that can hold no water at all! “Why has Israel become a slave? Why has he been carried away as plunder? Strong lions have roared against him, and the land has been destroyed. The towns are now in ruins, and no one lives in them anymore. Egyptians, marching from their cities of Memphis and Tahpanhes, have destroyed Israel’s glory and power. And you have brought this upon yourselves by rebelling against the Lord your God, even though he was leading you on the way! But I was the one who planted you, choosing a vine of the purest stock—the very best. How did you grow into this corrupt wild vine? No amount of soap or lye can make you clean. I still see the stain of your guilt. I, the Sovereign Lord, have spoken! “Israel is like a thief who feels shame only when he gets caught. They, their kings, officials, priests, and prophets— all are alike in this.”

‭‭Jeremiah‬ ‭2:1-3, 5-9, 13-17, 21-22, 26‬ ‭NLT‬‬

Together, Berry and Rachel plus Ecclesiastes gang would be the ones bringing the ‘new fire’ to Christ’ temple and reigniting the fire that was once lost to the ‘lust of the eyes, lust of the flesh and the pride of life.’

[topfygad]

The Best Things to Do and See in Israel: Looking Past the Conflict

I didn’t at all know what to expect when I boarded that flight to Israel.

My friends had been sending me articles about El Al, Israel’s flagship airline, and their onboard missile defense systems. Apparently, they have the most sophisticated security system of any airline in existence.

I had been warned about the airport interrogations and had been told not to let anyone stamp my passport. Some countries don’t recognize Israel as a country and won’t let you enter if they see that you’ve crossed the border.

It’s a complicated place, this Israel.

It’s no easy task understanding what’s going on over here, and the whole story involves elements of history, politics and religion from hundreds and hundreds of years ago.

If you want to brush up on your knowledge, it might be worth reading this.

I’ll do my best to address the conflict in a future article because I think I would be doing both the country and yourselves, the readers of this website, a disservice by not broaching the subject. But outside of the conflict, and through sinking my teeth into the culture, people, food, and religion, I walked away with a very different understanding of Israel as it stands today.

And on top of that, I found something in Israel that I truly wasn’t expecting.

Things to Do in Israel

My three weeks in Israel were a whirlwind. I covered almost half of the country in the first couple of days, and somewhat slowly completed the rest of it over the following two weeks. I wasn’t totally sure what to expect from a country found right in the middle of a desert, but I knew I would find some unexpected treasures.

And a lot of sand.

Land Rover-ing in the Negev Desert

Inside the Ramon Crater

The Ramon Crater (aka Mitzpe Ramon), found in the Negev Desert, is 28 miles wide and is actually not a crater–it’s what it called a makhtesh. There’s not actually an English translation for this word because the geological landform it refers to is unique to this specific region, where the two official languages are Hebrew and Arabic.

Hanging off the edge of the Ramon Crater

Cruising in the Negev Desert with Adam Sela

A makhtesh is essentially a valley caused by thousands of years of erosion. A hard outer layer of rock forms over a landmass and the softer minerals underneath it wash away. The top layer then crumbles into the empty space below, creating what you see in the images above.

Exploring the Negev Desert with Adam Sela and his Land Rover

Adam Sela, a South African transplant and regional expert, loaded us up into his Land Rover and showed us petrified artifacts, geological formations, and stunning views of one of Israel’s most unique landscapes.

His trusty Land Rover has clocked more than 1.3 million km in the Negev Desert.

Pro tip: Ask Adam about his other job—he has some incredibly interesting stories!

Photographing the Dead Sea

Toasted land next to the turquoise Dead Sea

I didn’t have very high expectations of the Dead Sea. From what I had heard, the coastline was littered with garbage and the water was gross and murky. To be perfectly honest, these assessments are mostly true—the swimming areas of the Dead Sea are cluttered with plastic bags and bottles and the water is brown and salty.

Getting outside of the swimming areas, though, and photographing some of the vistas in the lesser-known areas of the Dead Sea was particularly rewarding. Long turquoise waves brushed up against the toasted brown of the desert, creating an exceptionally rare effect. One particular area on the southern Dead Sea, just outside of Jerusalem, is host to huge salt formations and was perhaps one of the most photogenic vistas I’ve ever seen.

Salt formations at the southern Dead Sea

At 420 meters below sea level, the Dead Sea is the lowest point on earth. It’s salt concentration is so high that every part of your body floats and trying to keep any limb below the surface of the water is a difficult and hilarious task.

Pro tip: Don’t shave any part of your body before swimming in the Dead Sea. The salt burns, burns, burns, and if you’re a lady, well, it’s not going to be a pleasant experience.

Exploring Timna National Park

Timna selfie!

30 miles outside the resort town of Eilat lies Timna Valley, an old copper mine now encompassed by a park. Most notably known for it’s unusual and stunning rock formations, the sights in the Timna National Park were created through hundreds of years of rock fractures and erosion.

Climbing Solomon’s Pillars, Timna National Park

With limited time available, I decided to conquer one monument rather than just barely see them all. Solomon’s Pillars, perhaps the most well-known formation in the valley, called my name, and I made it my mission to climb the entire thing. There are stairs leading about halfway up, but the rest required some free climbing.

View of Timna National Park from the top of Solomon’s Pillars

The views from the top, though? Totally worth it.

Pro tip: Don’t rent bikes at Timna. They’re impossible to ride in the sand.

Experiencing the Holiest City in the World

Looking out over Jerusalem

I didn’t have a particular interest in visiting the holy sites of Israel, but I found them just about everywhere I went. Jerusalem is hugely significant to many religions including Christianity, Judaism, and Islam, and there are sacred places for each religion found all over Jerusalem.

– In Christianity, Jerusalem is the place where Jesus was crucified, buried, and resurrected.

– For the Jews, Jerusalem is the ancestral and spiritual homeland. Those who practice outside of Jerusalem pray facing its direction.

– In Islam, Jerusalem is sacred due to its association with Islamic prophets, namely Muhammed, who is believed to be a messenger for God. Abraham, David, Solomon, and Jesus are also regarded as Prophets of Islam, and each one has a tie to Jerusalem.

Western Wall, Jerusalem

The site where Jesus was buried

Lighting a candle inside the Church of the Holy Sepulchre

People of each faith intensely desire ownership of the city of Jerusalem, and so religion plays a large part in the conflict I mentioned before. Currently the people live in general peace within the city, but there is still a lot of tension. Jerusalem is divided, in fact, and one-half is considered to be a part of the new State of Israel (which was only recognized recently—in 1949) while the other still remains a part of the Palestinian Territories.

To see the holiest place on earth was, indeed, an eye opening experience. To see a city so largely divided, yet living as one, was something else entirely.

Pro tip: The Abraham Hostel in Jerusalem is just minutes from the famous Mehane Yehuda Market and a 15-minute walk to the Old City. They have affordable dorm beds and private rooms and they provide one of the most comprehensive hosteling systems I’ve ever seen.

Falafel, Hummus, and Tahini, Oh My!

Eating in Israel is something to be especially excited about. I wasn’t excited when I arrived, but the more food I was presented with, the more infatuated with the cuisine I became.

With influences coming from all over the Mediterranean and Middle East, the present day cuisine in Israel is something of a Jewish fusion including foods from all over those regions. I was met with chickpeas in almost every form, and some manifestation of bread and olive oil at almost every meal.

And though it usually was, when hummus wasn’t served, I got very, very angry.

Connecting with My Heritage

Coffee with Moshe, my 2nd cousin

But my pilgrimage to Israel was enriched by something more significant than incredible experiences and delicious food. I not only saw one of my good friends who now lives in Tel Aviv, but I met some of my family for the first time—cousins on the side of my family that I haven’t connected with much.

I’ll tell you a secret. It’s something I don’t share with people often, but I have four names on my birth certificate. The name I don’t publicize is a German name which extends from my father in the United States to his family who now lives in Israel. Until my trip to Israel, I had never met another person with this name. But, when I saw the smiles on Hannah and Moshe’s faces, and when I met Henia, Sharon, and Gaya, I felt a unique sense of coming home that I had never experienced before.

You see, my grandparents left Vienna in 1939 at the start of the German invasion and, after a year of refuge in Italy, they migrated to Israel where they have remained ever since. Somehow, their warm welcomes and stories of my family left me feeling like I had found a piece of myself that I never knew I was missing.

Even though I had never met these people, something in me felt safe, and something between us clicked. They told me stories of family which gave context to my name. I felt like I had known them forever. They were my blood, and I could feel it. Through some strange twist of fate, I came to Israel as a tourist, but left feeling like I had found another home.

More Information on Visiting Israel

Traveling to Israel is safe. Unless there are imminent warnings, there is no need to worry about traveling in Israel–it’s a wonderful, culturally eye-opening place to visit.

If you’re looking for more information on visiting Israel, Tourist Israel is the go-to resource for planning your travels in the region. From tours to hotels, restaurants to events, it’s the single most valuable guide I’ve found. Check them out now!

The topic of Israel can be controversial. This is a travel article, not a political one. Please keep your comments relevant and respectful.

READ NEXT: Breaking the Rules in Petra, Jordan: Free Climbing to the Top of the Monastery

Disclaimer: My trip to Israel was made possible through partnerships with the Israel Ministry of Tourism, Tourist Israel, Abraham Tours, and Abraham Hostels. Partnerships like these allow me to continue bringing you content from all over the world. I never allow such partnerships to compromise the integrity of my words and I will only ever recommend companies that I genuinely trust and believe in. Thank you for reading

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[jewishwarriorprincess]

I haven't been posting because I fucking hate Tumblr and wanted to just delete my account, but I had to share this. This Bitch, she's such a liar. I don't know how those in "Jumblr" can support her!!! She literally supports the murder of Jews in Israel, she also is shady as fuck. She doesn't care about us!!! No Palestinians were denied entry to the Temple Mount. Metal detectors are necessary since they turn their holy place into a place of violence hiding weapons and terrorism. Do they really care about this place as much as they say they do or do they use it as an excuse to kill Jews and Israelis? If they wanted to protect it so much they wouldn't be violent and kill Jews over metal fucking detectors!!! And people justifying the murder of three Jews who were just eating Shabbat dinner who have nothing to do with the metal detectors!!! And there are people around the world celebrating the murders!!! I'm so sick to my stomach that we live in a world like this. We then have the Slut Walk also expelling Jews because "Zionism" and taking a stance with the Dyke March. I guess they support the killings of innocent Jews because they happen to live where they belong, the only place they are truly feel safe as Jews even with the attacks against us! I just need to take a break. I don't care who blocks me or who I offend. I'm just sick of all of this and I don't think I want to come back to Tumblr. The images of blood from the scene of the terror attack and the photo of the piece of shit who did this smiling is etched in my brain.

[jennyschectersghost]

So I'm mostly over the whole CDM mess at this point, but some of these defenses are truly incredible. I...I really should stop reading them, but I can't fully look away.

In fact, out of morbid curiosity, I checked @projectqu*er's blog to see if they'd said anything further on the matter---and they'd actually posted a statement "in solidarity with Chicago D*ke March" from an affiliated Jew who is attempting to stick up for them, you know, so the white goy running that blog can feel justified in talking over the rest of us.

First of all, it's nothing short of absurd that people are seriously giving CDM the "solidarity" they've been calling for (SOLIDARITY!), as if they are somehow being oppressed or in any way mistreated by being widely held responsible for their antisemitic actions, which they still haven't apologized for or even acknowledged.

Secondly, I'm...I'm really just fucking floored by huge swaths of this statement, wow. I mean, it pissed me off at first, but now I mostly feel sad for this person and all the antisemitism she seems to have internalized, which is pretty easy to do in that sort of environment from what I've seen (sadly). I hope someday she can truly, unequivocally *know* that it is possible to support Palestinians as an unabashedly Jewish person---without forgetting all our Jewishness entails, without rewriting our histories or glossing over so many legitimate realities of the diasporic experience. I hope she can reconnect with her own Jewishness someday. I hope she's okay.

I mean, she basically frames the whole thing as if wanting to exist as a Jew in public is seriously akin to White Fragility, as if *public existence* is actually a thing that fucking white goyim would *ever* have to worry about...ever, in any fucking universe, at least on the basis of being white goyim. Like?! When is the last time anyone was kicked out of an event because of an explicitly pro-LGBT cross, even though white Western Christianity has persecuted and oppressed countless groups of people pretty much since its inception (DEFINITELY including Jews)?

But the MAGEN DAVID is ALSO on THE ISRAELI FLAG!! Yeah, and as much as plenty of leftists (myself included) might verbally shit on the American flag or whatever, CAN YOU IMAGINE a white goy EVER actually being expelled from an event because of an American Pride flag, the likes of which can literally be seen at comparable fucking events constantly, even though this country is itself undeniably violent and imperialistic?

Anyway. She also attacks both Ellie Otra and Lauren Grauer on a personal level, effectively demonizing both of them, characterizing and dismissing both of them as Fragile Whites obviously---acting as if they were both affiliated with A Wider Bridge (and as if A Wider Bridge is something much more insidious than it really appears to be) when only Lauren Grauer is actually affiliated with AWD, and this was discovered after the fact as far as I know, and it was not brought up by her as far as I know, and it definitely had nothing to do with her flag or why she was fucking there---ignoring the Persian part of Ellie Otra's Jewish background and all the ways in which that could further complicate goyische perception of her, especially white goyische perception of her---and mysteriously making no mention whatsoever of Eleanor Shoshany-Anderson, the Iranian Jewish woman who would most certainly be considered a woman of color by anyone's standard, who also had a Jewish Pride flag with a [*gasp*] Magen David on it and was booted precisely the same way, you know, for having *the audacity* to be visibly Jewish. She is just...unnamed, forgotten. Erased. How convenient.

And like...fuck, you know? Fuck.

It's hard to know exactly what to believe at this point, since CDM's Official Story has changed several times now. But this person does also assert that Magen Davids, arguably the mostly widely recognized symbol of Judaism and Jewishness in general, were effectively banned because Palestinian marchers were triggered by seeing them on a few rainbow flags.

Um. Okay. Giving her the benefit of the doubt and assuming that isn't just a bullshit excuse, like assuming there really were Palestinians there who really were triggered by that image, triggered as in legitimately having a *trauma response*...I can think of at least a few alternative means of supporting them without infringing on anyone else's rights (you know, just off the top of my head):

-They could have explicitly reassured the triggered marchers that they were safe and supported there, reminding them of where they were.

-They could have marched alongside the triggered marchers and made space for hearing them out---directly, intentionally making themselves emotionally available to the triggered marchers if they needed to talk through any thoughts or feelings.

-They could have physically helped the triggered marchers stay away from the triggering images---marching around them, in front of them, or behind them as the case might have been, you know, whatever---just making sure the flags weren't especially visible to them or at least trying to block those triggering images from their direct view(s).

Did they even *try* taking any of these sorts of measures, by any of their own accounts? No. Of course not. And as far as I'm concerned, it is still indefensible and completely uncalled for to just...jump right to interrogating and booting people for visibly taking pride as LGBT folks within their own marginalized cultural background, ethnicity and religion, you know, to *literally expel* them for being visibly Jewish. Fuck.

I used to be pretty frequently triggered by people grinning at me the wrong way, bringing me back to a sexually traumatic incident from my adolescence, but I would never tell any of the people around me they're not allowed to smile.

Sometimes I'm triggered by the sight, smell and taste of bananas because my abusive ex forcibly shoved one in my mouth before dragging me across the kitchen floor, but I would never banish anyone for eating a banana.

Sometimes people in ED recovery are triggered by the mere sight of Very Thin or Very Fat bodies; and if you knew this was the case for someone in your space, would you *actually* tell someone else to "cover up or get out" because you knew *their physical form* could be triggering? I would sure as fuck hope not. Because that is no way to behave.

And despite the particular form of hypocrisy that I mentioned earlier, I *could* understand kicking them out if those flags had in fact been Israeli flags at an explicitly anti-Zionist event, if those flags were *actually* supposed to be making any kind of statement about Israel/Palestine or if those flags had been, hm, I don't know, anti-Palestinian in any way.

But the fact remains that they were Jewish Pride flags. They were quite obviously Jewish Pride flags. And goyim have absolutely *no right* to decide what an ancient Jewish symbol means.

That's the thing, though: any awareness of more general goyische/Jewish dynamic seems to immediately evaporate in these sorts of anti-Zionist spaces, if it was ever there at all (which ultimately helps no one). Suddenly there is no discernible memory amongst *non-Palestinian* goyim of the Crusades, the blood libel, the Inquisition, the countless murders, the multiple expulsions, the pogroms, the forced assimilation, the Venetian ghetto, the historical segregation in numerous countries, the Holocaust, the Farhud, the discriminatory laws, the ongoing hate crimes, all the current ways in which our religion most definitely isn't regarded as the default in *every country except Israel,* none of it. None of it at all.

Because having or maintaining any active awareness of that sort of stuff makes all the most accepted narratives too messy, too multi-faceted. So suddenly all Jews (or "Zionists" as thinly veiled code for "Jews," as the case *sometimes* legitimately is) are framed as privileged oppressors in every context *in the world,* and I have literally had this kind of thinking espoused to me by people whose ancestors very likely persecuted mine at some point.

But it's fine in the name of anti-Zionism, right? It's all just anti-Zionism for sure!! Because Jews have ~never~ existed before the contemporary state of Israel and still don't exist outside of it, clearly, except in Evil Zionist Cabals. In fact, I am pretty obviously typing this from the Globalist Zionist New World Order Illuminati clubhouse. Duh.

From this person's statement:

"...Zionism is a system of power and control places Jews in a position of privilege vis a vis Palestinians.

This means that when Jews enter an anti-Zionist space, we accept that we are entering it under certain conditions. As beneficiaries of the system of power and control that those spaces were set up to combat and dismantle, we may be held to a higher political standard. We may be required to affirm certain political positions in order to remain in the space. We may be asked certain questions about our politics because of our positions of privilege. ... That is our role as accomplices, and privileged people in that space. Other privileged groups of people are treated the same way in social justice spaces, and that is the norm in our corner of society."

As beneficiaries. As ACCOMPLICES. I just. Wow. WOW. Other privileged groups of people? That would all be well and good if *all Jews* were in fact "the beneficiaries of the system of power [of Zionism]," (holy fuck), but that is certainly not the case. I mean, *how* are any Jews *here* at all privileged on the basis of "Zionism's" existence, or on the basis of our Jewishness specifically? Name one way! One fucking way! Without relying on those good old antisemitic tropes!!! I bet you fucking can't?!!

Of course some of us *are* privileged on the basis of our (debatably conditional) access to *whiteness* which is important to remain cognizant of, but we're certainly not privileged in any way specifically *because* we're *Jewish*---and the access some of us do have to whiteness is really in spite of our Jewishness, not because of it.

Of course we would have privilege as Jews in Israel. Israel is the one nation-state in the world where we would be privileged specifically on the basis of Jewishness, but we are not living in Israel. This is not Israel. Regardless of how any individual American Jew may or may not feel about it, we are not living in Israel. Even in radical circles, even at an explicitly anti-Zionist American q*eer event, this is still the United States---and the actual implications of our Jewishness here in this "Christian nation" don't magically vanish when we enter an "anti-Zionist space" for one LGBT March or any other kind of event.

Pretending otherwise to suit your agenda, however well-intentioned it might be in regards to supporting Palestinian folks, is really bizarrely dishonest if not outright absurd. It is not just forcibly, violently rewriting our people's entire fucking history, it is also erasing the ongoing context of how diasporic Jews very much do still exist as a marginalized ethno-religious group in the entire rest of the world (including here, unfortunately, as we are being so blatantly reminded of now with the emboldenment of literal Nazis). And would you deny this completely? Or do you somehow truly believe that it can be ignored?