Published: 5 September 2024
Last updated: 5 September 2024
An Israeli woman living in Berlin recently joined an "Israelis for Peace" protest outside the German Foreign Ministry opposing arms sales to Israel and calling for an end to the war in Gaza.
Her friends in Israel considered her protest a betrayal. They used social media to try to bring her into line, tagging her on a video of the protest and sharing their criticisms on Instagram.
The October 7 massacre and the ensuing bloody war have created a profound divide between Israelis at home and Israeli expats. Maybe Israeli expats are beginning to identify more with Diaspora Jews. Or perhaps we are simply growing apart from Israelis back home.
Or maybe it is because it has become harder to visit our families in Israel. But there seems to be a growing divide, almost a wall, between those here and those living there, who still mostly support the war.
The accusations from Israel are sometimes almost absurd. Another woman I know, a musician who now lives in London, had family members kidnapped on October 7 and taken to Gaza. While one of her relatives has since returned, the other member remains in captivity. The musician created a powerful piece of classical music that was accompanied by footage from both Israel and war-torn Gaza.
Maybe Israeli expats are beginning to identify more with Diaspora Jews. Or perhaps we are growing apart from Israelis back home.
When she shared it on social media, she received a huge number of negative comments. And when the woman who joined Israelis for Peace in Berlin shared this video on her social media, she got a message, saying: "Oh, so you're now with Hamas." She responded in disbelief, saying, "What? Hamas kidnapped her family! What are you talking about?" It is as if empathy had been lost from the Israeli lexicon.
Comments1
Rachel Sussman6 September at 10:46 pm
The author has the picture all wrong.
I am sure that some Israelis living outside Israel who see things ‘differently’ from outside. We all want peace, we all want this nightmare to end but unless you know how to achieve this in a way that brings all the hostages home and destroys Hamas ability to rule in Gaza then I think your demonstrationscare useless and harmful, they add salt to deep and burning wounds that the people in Israel ( and most Jews around the world) feel now.
To say that Israeli media is stifled is evidence that the author did not pay attention to it. The Media is full of anti-Bibi and anti Government material not to mention the people who deminstrate day after day to change Government.
To also say that there is a growing rift between Israelis and Jews living outside is also a fallacy. It is the opposite… Jews outside of Israel feel closer than ever before. Of course, as always there are the anti… it is not that one must not criticise Israel, of course one must when/ if wrongdoing is done, it is just that how and when one does so matters… expecting Israelis to feel deep sympathy for Gaza after its elected Governing body slaughtered 1200 virtually in their beds or peaceful activities, kidnapped over 250 ( and still holding and murdering them), knoweing the people of Gaza took and take part in these activities, is like asking someone tormented by a Nazi to feel compassion for him/ her…
I think not standing by your own is a choice and as I said one can stand with Israel and still have different views, God knows that there are abundant views within Israel itself but they still stand by their country… Israel is the last country I will describe as ‘stifled’ and ‘brainwashed’….