Editorials

Well, there’s plenty of blame to go around, that’s for sure. This publication and many more are filled with passionate denunciations of Hamas’s brutal invasion of Israel and Israel’s appalling war against the people of Gaza ( most of whom happen to be women, old folks or kids) by both sides. Some opinion writers choose one side to support, but many say a plague on both their houses. 

Next to my front door there’s a little brown box, like a picture frame with a glass window. Inside are three compartments. Two contain metal objects that I don’t understand: One looks like an eye. The other looks like a hand, or maybe a bell, and it has the word “millenium”, the number 2000 and what looks like a fish on it. There are some iridescent balls, like ball bearings, rolling around in the frame. In the third section there’s a tiny plaque with these words on it: 

BLESSING OF THE HOUSE 

MAY SORROW NOT
ENTER HEREIN
NEITHER TROUBLE
WORRY OR FRIGHT
MAY IT NEVER BE
A HOUSE DIVIDED
HAPPINESS AND PEACE
PRESIDE WITHIN 

This object was a gift to my late mother almost two decades ago, from two Israeli girls who were touring the world to avoid being drafted into the Israel Defense Force. They were pacifists and conscientious objectors, and if I understood them correctly Israel’s law at the time made no provision for people who didn’t want to fight, except of course for religious males. Per recent Wikipedia analyses, not much has changed. Everyone is expected to serve in the armed services, though in practice many avoid it. The girls stayed in my mother’s spare room for about a year and became fast friends with her. They finally decided to go home and face the music. The last I heard about them, one (was her name Yael?) was in jail because she still refused to serve in the Israel Defense Force. Others have met the same fate. 

Nonetheless, I hope that the peaceable sentiments on that house blessing, which I inherited, are still honored by some Israelis. The appalling Hamas invasion has made it hard to be an Israeli pacifist, though reports in Ha’aretz, the Guardian and other media reveal that they still exist. 

But being a dissenter in Israel these days is not easy, it appears. Friday’s Guardian had a story about a history teacher in Israel who was handcuffed and jailed in solitary after he posted questions about Gaza on his Facebook page. 

Many observers of that country’s current war on Gaza, both those in Israel and in the Jewish diaspora, blame Bibi Netanyahu and his political allies for what they perceive as serious over-reaction. Yes, the Hamas invasion of October 7 was beyond appalling, and retribution was inevitable and understandable, but the more-than-excessive number of non-combatant deaths and injuries among Palestinians, especially children, angered many of Israel’s former allies. Decades of abuse of Palestinians didn't help. Of course, critics are accused of antisemitism. 

I can recite chapter and verse about the consequences of any criticism of Israel, justified or not. Check the Berkeley Daily Planet archives between 2006 and 2009 for documentation. 

It’s not my job to advise Israel of how to regain its formerly honored position in the world, and it’s probably too late anyway, but remembering that experience reminded me of a quip from my own religious tradition. 

It’s what the Great St. Theresa reputedly said to God during a rough patch in their relationship: 

“If this is the way you treat your friends, it’s no wonder you have so few.” 

Amen to that.