As an Israeli living in Michigan for the past 11 years, it has been difficult for me to look away from Israel, Gaza, and the region for the past 600+ days. My heart leaped in fear and broke in grief when I learned about my Israeli brothers and sisters who were massacred, defenseless, on “the black shabbat.” 

I knew then a response from Israel would follow, but I did not in my wildest nightmares foresee the magnitude of civilian casualty and never-ending humanitarian crisis in Gaza. In the beginning of this year, there was a ceasefire, a hostage deal, a glimmer of hope for an end to the madness. Some of the hostages returned to their families. But in March, that ceasefire was abruptly discontinued, followed by months of intense bombing that continues to this day and leaves many civilians, hundreds of children among them, dead. In mid-June Israel attacked Iran, adding another front to this complicated situation and creating further more death and destruction. 

Moving forward from the initial shock and horror of the Oct. 7 attacks, I was reminded of the context in which these attacks happened, and the circumstances that created the conditions for such violence to unfold. The Oct. 7 attacks took place after years of a slow-progressing shift of Israeli politics toward right-wing extremism, in the midst of nationwide, large-scale protests against the government’s anti-democratic reform attempts of the judicial system. 

The attacks were heartbreaking and terrifying for the people of Israel — but for a power hungry government that was becoming increasingly unpopular, an opportunity to regain the support of many disenchanted people presented itself as shock and grief turned into vengeance. Any existing objection to the government was pushed to “the day after” the war, a day that never came. The day after did not come because those in power did not want it to come. Top Israeli leadership have no interest in ending the war because the war is what keeps them in power. This means Gazans and many other innocent people across multiple war fronts continue to suffer and die.

The most terrifying outcome of this war is the death toll and destruction in Gaza. But since many people (including many Jewish Americans) are choosing not to know this, some other devastating outcomes of this war include hundreds of Israeli soldiers killed, dozens of Israelis still held captive in Gaza, constantly bombed and with no access to food or medical care, and a democracy that is basically non-existent. Not to mention the moral injury the Jewish people have experienced in becoming the perpetrators of unthinkable violence. 

Israel is a nation shattered in despair. The war in Iran helped distract from the crisis in Gaza and allows Israel to feel triumphant despite causing so much pain to Gazans and failing to return the hostages. . 

Identifying as “pro-Israel” while supporting the actions of this government seems to me like an ironic choice of words. Unconditionally supporting a government that brought upon Israel the disaster of Oct. 7 and continues to drag what is left into the ground is not what I consider “pro” Israel. Sometimes the strongest act of love is to provide honest feedback, an opportunity to repair. The Israeli government needs honest, constructive feedback more than ever right now. Is it open to hearing it? No. Is it worth it to try? Yes. 

The news we see nowadays, especially on social media, can keep us in a convenient cycle of seeing the same things over and over again and not seeing the things that cause us grief and pain. Social media algorithms make it easy to turn away from this terrible reality — the many innocent lives lost or changed forever. No one wants to see this because it is painful, it is horrifying, and it reminds us of our own mortality and the vulnerability of life. Moreover, as Jews, many of us have a misinformed narrative that we are always victims, never culprits. So we look away or find ways to rationalize and justify the violence. When someone points out the cruelty of Israeli attacks on Gaza, we say “but what about what they did to us?” as if that somehow justifies the never ending cycle of bombing and killing more and more children, more and more civilians. 

But as Jews who have been through generations of discrimination and trauma, we know from experience that violence never brings forth peace and security. Not for Jews, not for Palestinians, not for anyone anywhere, ever. The idea that all of the violence will lead to defeating Hamas is unrealistic. If anything, traumatizing more people will have the opposite result — further radicalization. 

As a Jew, it has been difficult to speak against the war without being labeled antisemitic or self-hating. But as an Israeli with lived experience of the ceaseless conflict that my country has been in since its inception, I feel a certain responsibility in raising awareness. I feel helpless. 

The only actions I can think of right now to stop the war are for Israeli soldiers to refuse to show up for combat, and for the U.S. to stop supplying Israel with ammunition and unconditional diplomatic support. The first of these two has started and I hope it becomes a movement. The second is less likely but I can still hope. 

For the rest of us, I encourage you to read not only the news that is readily available to you, but also to find the narratives of those who are living this hell — Palestinians and Israelis in Palestine and Israel — and allow yourself to open your eyes and hearts, even for brief moments (because I know it is hard) to the suffering of the other. 

We may have no control over what Israel does in Gaza, but we do have control over what information we allow ourselves to learn. Get uncomfortable in learning something new from sources you do not already agree with or know. Maybe that will stimulate new ideas for how to stop this multi-generational cycle of violence to make space for peace and coexistence. 

And when the feelings of helplessness inevitably creep in, know that, in the words of former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, you should "never stop believing that fighting for what's right is worth it."