sarahHope
To the Editor:
The use of antisemitism as a weapon to stifle free speech is deplorable.
Who in their right mind will not speak out against the brutality imposed upon the Palestinian Gazan population? Who will not protest the starving of innocent civilians? Who will not condemn the displacement of millions and the herding of them like animals?
Who is not agonizing over the state of Israel’s actions against the Palestinian people? Who is not weeping for the lost promise of this state and the unthinkable and unapologetic racism of its leadership?
How can there not be contempt and grief for this kind of cruelty and inhumanity?
I am not antisemitic for expressing this outrage and pain. I feel the same compassion for Jewish people. I do not want them driven into the sea. I do not want them terrorized, seeking shelter from missiles, and being blown up on Israeli buses and markets, or being murdered and attacked in our communities here.
Violence must be condemned. Equality under the law must be established for all in Israel-Palestine.
But how?
First, can we agree that all violence must be condemned? Can we agree that the millions like me who are condemning the state of Israel’s actions in Gaza and the West Bank are not antisemites?
If so, there is common ground. Our humanity will transcend tribalism and the narratives we abide by.
We will know right from wrong and take some solace in that shared understanding.
The hope that we yearn for will be found.
Ron Koss, Montpelier
Letters to the editor represent the opinions of the authors and do not reflect the opinions of The Bridge. Submit your letter by email to editor@montpelierbridge.com. Preference is given to submissions by those who live in central Vermont, should not exceed 300 words in length, and may be edited for brevity and accuracy.
