Dear Mom,<\/p>\n\n\n\n
I have a new friend. He\u2019s one of those people you just know from the first firm handshake is a good person. In the few weeks I\u2019ve known him he\u2019s told many stories of seeing wrongs being done. Racism, bullying, oppression and the like. Like all of us \u2013 every single one of us \u2013 he\u2019s seen it all. But unlike most of us, his stories usually include the sentence \u201cWell, there was no way I was going to stand by and watch that, so I…\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
It\u2019s easy to oppose injustice. Especially from afar. But it\u2019s even easier to say nothing out loud and to think quietly to yourself: \u201cThank God that\u2019s not happening where I live and to me and my kids.\u201d For the past few weeks, I\u2019ve been doing exactly that about Gaza. And let\u2019s be honest, you probably have too.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Yes, it\u2019s complicated. Yes, it\u2019s confusing. Yes, it seems like they’ve been fighting forever and always will. And no, there\u2019s not much you or I can do to change what\u2019s happening. But since I met my new friend, saying nothing at all about it has been feeling more and more cowardly.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
As a Jew, especially and American one, I ”should” understand why Israel is doing what it it\u2019s doing. But as a human being, I can\u2019t. Because as a human being, my place is on the right side of wrong.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
So I’m on the side of those who believe that no objective is worth achieving if it means killing little kids and babies.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The side of those with no place to go.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The side of those who don’t use horrors of the past to justify horrors happening today, right now.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The side of anyone who believes that peace is the only thing really worth fighting for \u2013 and that almost nothing is worth dying for.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The side of those who live and let live.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The side of those with the vision to see things from the other side.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The side that risks danger and persecution to speak the truth (like my brave new friend).<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The side of people who don\u2019t let a shared religion or cultural background blind them to injustice, crime and murder.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The side of those whose only crime is having parents who happened to have sex in the wrong place at the wrong time.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
I could go on and on.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Today, I\u2019m on the side of every Israeli brave enough to stand up and speak out against what\u2019s happening in Gaza. And I\u2019m on the side of every single Palestinian who, right at this very moment is terrified, desperate and thinking \u201cOh my God, I wish this was happening anywhere else and not to me and my kids.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Love,\nLissu<\/p>\n\n\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
Dear Mom, I have a new friend. He\u2019s one of those people you just know from the first firm handshake is a good person. In the few weeks I\u2019ve known him he\u2019s told many stories of seeing wrongs being done. Racism, bullying, oppression and the like. Like all of us \u2013 every single one of […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":147,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"asauth_required_access_level":0,"asauth_cansharepaid":"true","om_header_attributes":[],"footnotes":"","om_featured_image_focal_point":[],"om_primary_tag":0,"om_contributors":[],"om_co_authors":[],"beyondwords_generate_audio":"","beyondwords_project_id":"","beyondwords_content_id":"","beyondwords_preview_token":"","beyondwords_player_content":"","beyondwords_player_style":"","beyondwords_language_code":"","beyondwords_language_id":"","beyondwords_title_voice_id":"","beyondwords_body_voice_id":"","beyondwords_summary_voice_id":"","beyondwords_error_message":"","beyondwords_disabled":"","beyondwords_delete_content":"","beyondwords_podcast_id":"","beyondwords_hash":"","publish_post_to_speechkit":"","speechkit_hash":"","speechkit_generate_audio":"","speechkit_project_id":"","speechkit_podcast_id":"","speechkit_error_message":"","speechkit_disabled":"","speechkit_access_key":"","speechkit_error":"","speechkit_info":"","speechkit_response":"","speechkit_retries":"","speechkit_status":"","speechkit_updated_at":"","_speechkit_link":"","_speechkit_text":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[163,113,16,161,162,164],"class_list":["post-222","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-kirjeita-aidille","tag-courage","tag-fear","tag-friends","tag-gaza","tag-voice","tag-war"],"om_views":null,"acf":{"tuuma_off":false,"tuuma_kysymys":"","tuuma_vastaus":""},"asauth":{"required_access_level":1,"share_token":"","is_paid":false},"yoast_head":"\n