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2021 Gaza attack

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Rabbi Wendi Geffen of a Reform congregation outside Chicago gave a sermon after the last Gaza conflict saying anti-Zionist Jews must not be allowed inside the Jewish “tent” because the “vast majority” of Jews support Israel. And she said the assertion by some Jews that Zionism contradicts progressive values is a threat to the Jewish people more dangerous than external threats. Her views are important because they reflect official Jewish statements that conflate Zionism and Judaism.

A Palestinian protester flashes a victory sign during clashes with Israeli security forces at a protest along the Israel border with Gaza, demanding the right to return to their homeland, east of Gaza city on April 4, 2018. (Photo: Yasser Qudih/APA Images)

During its attack on Gaza in May, Israel destroyed the offices of APA Images, the photo agency that Mondoweiss relies on to give you the news from Palestine. Today, we are proud to announce that we are joining with our friends at The Electronic Intifada and the Middle East Children’s Alliance to raise funds to replace APA’s destroyed equipment, and promote journalism in Gaza.

Rabbi Angela Buchdahl says she was “angry and embarrassed” that 94 rabbinical and cantatorial students wrote a letter accusing Israel of “violent suppression of human rights” and “apartheid” during its last Gaza onslaught, and said she would not “hire anyone who signed that letter.” Buchdahl was letting slip a policy that many Jewish organizations maintain, not to hire or give a platform to those who question Zionism.

Unlike the three previous wars on Gaza, the May war, albeit shorter – eliminated many of my childhood and teenage years’ memories. It was more personal than the others. This time, Israel stepped up its aggressiveness by attacking the heart of Gaza City, a place that often escaped the intense bombing. And in the two weeks I stayed there in June, I don’t think there was a single day without the drone noise in the background.