When a Jewish Child Believes Jews are Bad

Since the beginning of Israel's military onslaught on Gaza, I have participated in two rallies and one prayer service. At all three events, I was treated with respect and welcomed warmly by many Palestinians. I wore my kippa and Jewish Voice for Peace T-shirt. People came up to me constantly, saying hello and asking to have their picture taken with me. People thanked me. They said they know that not all Jews are against Palestinians. They were eager to make a connection.

This is a picture (from behind, that's where the text on our T-shirts was)  of me with two Palestinian protesters at a rally in downtown Chicago on Monday.

When I was growing up, we were taught to act in a way that was a Kiddush Hashem (literally: sanctifying God's name). This meant acting in public that brings non-Jews to relate positively to Jews.
I had to have a conversation with a young child today, a member of my family, who was beginning to see Jews as bad people because "they are killing people and hurting people." I told her that those doing the killing are not "the Jews". I asked her to look at all the members of her family and the congregation and see if they kill or hurt people.We went through a list of family members and other Jews. At the end, we were able to agree that Jews are good.

Amidst all the carnage and destruction in Gaza, this moment also brings a twinge to my heart. What a mirror, a young child holds up for us. In a Jewish child's eyes, Israel's war on Gaza means "Jews are bad people". Oy.
O what has become of us (Refrain of traditional lament of Tisha B'av)

Gaza Postcard

Frightened children piled on mule-driven cart

looking into camera.

In color.

Memories of black-and-white great-grandparents

That mule. That cart. That look.

grandchildren on elders’ journey. 

Gaza.

Hard G over that rhrholled Arabic
From A to Z and back Again -
the strip that never heals

Clamped, cramped

hardness, hardship

Tunnels with no light.

Tighter and tighter.

No exit.

Nakba, ongoing neverending

infra-red dead, grainy nosehead video, artful New York Times picture.

Cold numbers.

Invisible to the soul, the hole of our identity.

Mowing-the-lawn massacre. 100-0 Senate support.

Even Saddam Hussein and the North Koreans never got those numbers.

P.S.

No need to talk about Gaza,

(btw, it's not our fault).
Can we ever forgive them for making us kill them
Can we ever forgive them for being killed by us
Can we ever

Stop.