Gaza is transforming how Jews in America, who support Israel, view the importance and legitimacy of critiquing Israel. It's compelling people to internalize the notion that criticism and true support, rather than being mutually exclusive, may actually be congruent. Like me, they are all Jews. Like me, they are all invested in the Jewish community and Israel.

::::::::

reprinted from Dailykos.com

Originally published in Tikkun Daily

I can't keep up with my inbox.

This is an entirely new and foreign experience over 100 messages have been streaming in each day for past last week, and there is little sign of this pace slowing. All of these messages are being sent by strangers, the vast majority of them are coming from American Jews, and most contain a singular message:

"I feel like you are my voice right now." 27-year-old from Philadelphia

As a writer and author, I've been humbled by occasional notes from strangers, from people both praising me or cursing me for my words, opinions and political positions. However, what's happening right now is like nothing I've ever experienced. It is a stunning anecdotal phenomenon which reveals the way American Jews in particular, and Americans in general, are being affected by the incredible suffering in Gaza.

This all began when the actor Mark Ruffalo shared an article I recently wrote:

The article started circulating widely, and from that article, a meme was created by someone I don't know which has apparently circulated even more widely.

Since then, I have received a steady stream of messages which have been both overwhelming and humbling. They have also been sustaining me during a very difficult time unbeknownst to most who are sending them. As one who works in the Jewish community as an educator, and one who has been an outspoken critic of Israel's Gaza operations as a two-state Jew, I have had pushback from certain voices in my community. It has been a tense time, to say the least.

Click Here to Read Whole Article