From the Shtetls to Palestine
To be a Jew means always being with the oppressed and never the oppressor.
In the last two years, perhaps one question more than any other has been repeated: Do you condemn Hamas? An almost rhetorical question not asked to seek a deeper understanding but aimed to silence those who would criticize Israel. To establish what an "acceptable" resistance to the occupation of Palestinian lands and the slaughter of its people "should" look like.
In many circles, to condemn Hamas is a prerequisite to join the conversation. To that I can only ask in return: where are the condemnations of Israel? As Jews and as leftists, we cannot wag our fingers at the people of Palestine and ask they wait for a group to liberate them which is deemed acceptable. In the words of Marek Edelman, "To be a Jew means always being with the oppressed and never the oppressor." That is not "always, except when they commit acts we do not like or do not agree with." Always.
