[Sundaycommunity] Fwd: Israel at War: Making sense of this week's news
Martha Crean
crean.martha at gmail.com
Fri Mar 15 22:44:07 PDT 2024
Helena thank you for bringing these very thoughtful reports and analyses to
our attention from the JSpace Canada.
Martha
On Fri, Mar 15, 2024 at 5:01 PM H. Burns via Sundaycommunity <
sundaycommunity at lists.integralshift.ca> wrote:
>
> Sent from my iPhone
>
> Begin forwarded message:
>
> *From:* JSpaceCanada <info at jspacecanada.ca>
> *Date:* March 15, 2024 at 16:43:02 EDT
> *To:* Helena Burnstein <helena.burnstein at sympatico.ca>
> *Subject:* *Israel at War: Making sense of this week's news*
>
>
> Shabbat news and update round up
>
>
> DONATE NOW
> <https://www.jspacecanada.ca/donate?e=e01a8ccbbbe0751f0a6034ddfd2979fa&utm_source=jspace&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=shaabatemail_march152024&n=1>
>
> Dear Helena,
>
> Since Israel declared war on Hamas following the horrific terror attacks
> by Hamas on October 7, there has been constant international attention on
> and scrutiny of Israel.
>
> Much of it is warranted, however, in some spaces, this attention and
> scrutiny has veered into hate and Antisemitism.
>
> It is sometimes hard to discern and parse out, when tensions are so high,
> when we are still reeling from the trauma of October 7, what criticism
> comes from a place of good faith and care for Israel, Israelis, and the
> Jewish people, and what criticism is being used for sinister purposes and
> increasing hatred of Israel and Jews worldwide.
>
> What we do know is that all criticism of Israel is not inherently
> Antisemitic. Israel is not above reproach, and most of all, for many of us
> who do criticize, it comes from a place of genuine care and concern for the
> future of Israel as a Jewish and democratic state.
>
> It is disconcerting to see some of our Jewish diaspora legacy institutions
> seemingly unable to make that distinction, with criticisms of the Canadian
> government's choices to *support Palestinian women
> <https://www.jspacecanada.ca/r?u=ZyO_DFWWRDvdu31LHzZ70bZPXMgBKHFMzzZgMXdeimerqK94h4sF6ZIDazBuJIipejVNbnIw_YKDU8bOogg06Q&e=e01a8ccbbbe0751f0a6034ddfd2979fa&utm_source=jspace&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=shaabatemail_march152024&n=2>*
> who claim sexual abuse and misconduct at the hands of the IDF, or to *reinstate
> funding to UNRWA
> <https://www.jspacecanada.ca/r?u=ZyO_DFWWRDvdu31LHzZ70RhXxGRCY5S_aTB_3V0bBQbznWSIeSz-dfrws4zkfPFwNscekP9jaa6kSKcwPou9oQ&e=e01a8ccbbbe0751f0a6034ddfd2979fa&utm_source=jspace&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=shaabatemail_march152024&n=3>*
> amid a worsening humanitarian crisis in Gaza.
>
> This rhetoric seeks to isolate Jews from the broader community and make it
> appear as though this is a zero-sum game - for Israelis and supporters of
> Israel to "win", Palestinians and supporters of the Palestinian cause must
> "lose." This causes tensions, divisions, and fear in our community, but it
> does something else -- *it creates a false binary that only moves us
> further away from peace.*
>
> It was former Israeli Prime Minister Yitzhak Rabin who said, "you don't
> make peace with friends; you can only make peace with your enemies."
>
> While "enemies" might be a strong word, we should extrapolate this to mean
> that making peace means compromising with people with whom you have
> differing views. It means understanding the narrative of "the other", even
> if it's not yours. It means allowing ourselves to feel discomfort in order
> to hold the truth of another.
>
> There is no harder time to do this than when we are vulnerable, when we
> feel hurt, and exposed. But it is also in these times that this is most
> crucial. That we can come together and say we will not let extremists win,
> we will not allow hate to divide us, we will step bravely into the space of
> peacemaking and healing even when -- especially when -- we are hurting.
>
> It is because of this that we chose to *support
> <https://www.jspacecanada.ca/r?u=ZyO_DFWWRDvdu31LHzZ70QfoYwHBnRtWPhzCT0zo3nB8C2azncEY88SKtDn4WB0Lm7BlXCiFEduTC0bSMZpE6w&e=e01a8ccbbbe0751f0a6034ddfd2979fa&utm_source=jspace&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=shaabatemail_march152024&n=4>*
> the *NDP motion
> <https://www.jspacecanada.ca/r?u=-3aDUVBO4proBKuokF3ytKcGqsWFHrt6UgDJXRumjN-Vs0KvbXr8KmEKmC8JsCoNtw1e93SBVnzx12Ai3H_Yr0aHgdD9I2CSJnm3RZKfzNdFf9IabmsgdP7u_aZgwQFF&e=e01a8ccbbbe0751f0a6034ddfd2979fa&utm_source=jspace&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=shaabatemail_march152024&n=5>*
> that will be debated in the House of Commons this Monday. While we don't
> agree with every call in this motion and might have worded it differently,
> or added some things, what we see in this motion is politicians bravely
> stepping into the space of peacemaking and healing and asking our
> government, our leaders, to do the same.
>
> We must remember that even before the war, during the pro-democracy
> protests, we were told that we mustn't speak out against the judicial
> overhaul, our communal leaders *called for "unity" above all else.
> <https://www.jspacecanada.ca/r?u=9qFujIoeyobCItbhgVcNfNM7n9qPOFedBCMmNuBbmgd2iRw0PiRCDwCDyd-_jxkDNEFfwofGebrO0xS17oPfgvzt6gEOu6fyDBZPNUukfxmHy-2MtP1eGfr3OCOsrb5neAZyH1X6lnubTMQiNQySNv7xrx6Z2yCA1g0kFvoMGzmuj68tjSfXP3JwsfEJnMc6TRtrZurdCbJDNFP6m0fvZerPN5IQ8b2rcpi-KUdgbnXMtu44Dfn3nfOoyC4_eWYM&e=e01a8ccbbbe0751f0a6034ddfd2979fa&utm_source=jspace&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=shaabatemail_march152024&n=6>*
>
> The stakes now are even higher. Not only is the Netanyahu government still *
> insistent on ramming through judicial reforms
> <https://www.jspacecanada.ca/r?u=9qFujIoeyobCItbhgVcNfLtPpvPAXVozFLtZazbHGaAS_viNH0rRG0xRw6ClOckD2E7BbAOiSLixDmrXAGGsubgROiVuKi6GfuxHeCD8SUldCPaoH3TdJx6pW__UNDeLzR-1KRfyElBst1TEpHI9q4KwScZrdlMOmne33VaU-KFavSvfY39z2gmeFUs-yP1_FrW8qogAYRLZRtszW97BhhvaEWfwm-fFqoGnAZfCfWSPwtxI7jBqDUx98u7L0XqL_IM9yTxRMpFfJRtRz9rhfw&e=e01a8ccbbbe0751f0a6034ddfd2979fa&utm_source=jspace&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=shaabatemail_march152024&n=7>*,
> but now there are 134 hostages still being held in Gaza. There are families
> grieving, in pain, begging the government to do something, anything, to get
> their loved ones back. And a mere 90-minute drive from Israel's centre,
> there are Gazans who have lost everything - family, friends, their home,
> their schools, their places of worship. They are starving and have nowhere
> to flee for safety.
>
> We must be talking about how this ends. We must be talking about a day
> after. We must be pushing our community, our government, our leaders to
> have this conversation, and work toward a new reality for the region - one
> of peace, recognition, self-determination, and sovereignty for Jews and
> Palestinians alike.
>
> That's the work JSpaceCanada, and our other progressive Jewish Zionist
> partners in Canada are doing right now.
>
> While others want to scare us, and motivate us through fear, *we want to
> motivate with hope*. Because we know hope is still alive, and we know,
> even though it may only be a glimmer of hope, *it's enough to bring
> peace.*
>
> When we talk about brave conversations, we talk about our friends at
> Canadian Friends of Peace Now, who are *hosting a webinar this Sunday
> <https://www.jspacecanada.ca/r?u=HTmIsSKWgGOQ_juasl6uxQpnwJ5Wj4yFLjevi3l8lyd9_JQU5HW7gs2S50D8-Kc5edtldGOfCJi3r5itjboVOWZNVRGR6stz8EmQF_RfMPEDFPBsUcSKFr7I_R5OBsBN&e=e01a8ccbbbe0751f0a6034ddfd2979fa&utm_source=jspace&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=shaabatemail_march152024&n=8>*
> with Amira Mohammed & Ibrahim Abu Ahmad, two Palestinian citizens of Israel
> who, post-October 7 began a podcast called *Unapologetic: the Third
> Narrative* with the goal of rejecting tribalism and creating a better
> future for Israelis and Palestinians.
>
> When we talk about pragmatic policy steps that Israelis, Palestinians, and
> international allies such as Canada can take to ensure a peaceful
> resolution to the conflict, we talk about our joint conference, *After
> October 7th: A Political Vision for Israel-Palestine
> <https://www.jspacecanada.ca/r?u=BDFbNwO6Sj6Iw7zEL0naSXQv3UUy7xwvCef-FtP4PzjDcLtme0r7bVVGiwVfKNbbAShJBYGksqhl2PsKpI8FMd02wYIvY_zunHXtaRyUH-Ku-P3C6vSOPOqwe6CY7AHh&e=e01a8ccbbbe0751f0a6034ddfd2979fa&utm_source=jspace&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=shaabatemail_march152024&n=9>*,
> with our friends at New Israel Fund of Canada and Canadian Friends of Peace
> Now.
>
> When we talk about finding hope, even in despair, trauma and loss, we talk
> about our *upcoming webinar with Maoz Inon and Hamze Awawde
> <https://www.jspacecanada.ca/making_hope?e=e01a8ccbbbe0751f0a6034ddfd2979fa&utm_source=jspace&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=shaabatemail_march152024&n=10>*,
> an Israeli and Palestinian who have both lost family and friends as a
> result of the conflict, who refuse to be enemies, and who work every day to
> show that peace is not only possible, but that we can all play a part in
> making it happen.
>
> These days, there's a lot to be scared of. A lot of uncertainty. A lot of
> pain. But we have a choice - we can let it consume us, or we can reject it
> in favour of hope. *Because hope conquers fear.*
>
> *In the Washington Post, the growing humanitarian crisis of Israel's
> making in Gaza. *
> <https://www.jspacecanada.ca/r?u=kVUWmItxtFnUu22T0yqCZkMNiDmg6-CPtGuf2aOCIbi94svtgnrO3seK7WUnOWXsL5_CO4CwDwyLEPjWId2q4qwI88MuBunmpA6kYDc3vrCfD_b_Ct8ooVTcE2Fa859W&e=e01a8ccbbbe0751f0a6034ddfd2979fa&utm_source=jspace&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=shaabatemail_march152024&n=11>
>
> *In the Forward - five months into the war in Gaza, it's clearer than ever
> that Netanyahu must go.*
> <https://www.jspacecanada.ca/r?u=RZP2DqGq_HoVGefyzkYODyjZbxZAB_sIB6g6ipktMZtKX_PibFG83aIi0FCvZ3xt3HYISRlgrfVB3p0WfZQ3-Q&e=e01a8ccbbbe0751f0a6034ddfd2979fa&utm_source=jspace&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=shaabatemail_march152024&n=12>
>
> *Ishay Rosen-Zvi examines Israel's messianic right, and why they don't
> care about the hostages held in Gaza, in Haaretz.*
> <https://www.jspacecanada.ca/r?u=9qFujIoeyobCItbhgVcNfFY8LbWg74vbLAapnzzQcYM37SeZz_gc_ZrZDTBGrGnqF2m9jtOZ2GscgFMg6sli5BaZ7A7Yq28gVsUgC9WQHiC6_tlwYB1jkM09gLtCH-cZRqa5D-ODJPlnHYosOTnGfXM7wSwL9MVoGZLca5yaJF_oOVjMrnQeMfoTTf5wk2YIVXJt7JsrUyM6gXFPlB_IXUwcn9vUGmVVyuPzDuwWoUI5_8b2erLB2GPdME2v784P&e=e01a8ccbbbe0751f0a6034ddfd2979fa&utm_source=jspace&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=shaabatemail_march152024&n=13>
>
> *What the long road to recovery for Gaza looks like, and if it's even
> possible, in Foreign Policy.*
> <https://www.jspacecanada.ca/r?u=aBQiQLgDspHzmaKu5ZYngA5KatcCM5GvYmfS6fTEvzWRGZ6zQV6oXlibm1NE4Ow0AEq4TbLEBVy8f7GyppIDXsSAQqX1OCgOBEutXbKt84WDPpiTNr7zTDFFfz9rrwq9&e=e01a8ccbbbe0751f0a6034ddfd2979fa&utm_source=jspace&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=shaabatemail_march152024&n=14>
>
> *Thomas Friedman once again makes his disdain for Netanyahu known in the
> pages of the New York Times, accusing the Prime Minister of making Israel
> "radioactive."*
> <https://www.jspacecanada.ca/r?u=xWyc99KFp7AscA2doXHD0dOT4niMaDzxwheo5RR3zGk_ujXU7gbTDMKp5w0Cb-iAGYH3NpOQZ7oAOxg2_BGp5Qd0ICU3KTV_xCjBoevNE78&e=e01a8ccbbbe0751f0a6034ddfd2979fa&utm_source=jspace&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=shaabatemail_march152024&n=15>
> JSpaceCanada
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