Dear Students Flying Palestine's Flag: I'm Israeli Jewish & My Country Has A Right To Exist | The Odyssey Online
Start writing a post
Politics and Activism

Dear Students Flying Palestine's Flag: I'm Israeli Jewish & My Country Has A Right To Exist

I dare you to look me in the face and tell me that it doesn't.

129
Dear Students Flying Palestine's Flag: I'm Israeli Jewish & My Country Has A Right To Exist
Roderick Eime / Flickr

Today there was a Palestinian flag waving on my college campus.

This wasn’t a surprise to me. I go to a leftist college in a liberal part of the country, and the leftist formulation of any world conflict as “white people bad, brown people good” ensures that nearly everyone on campus has something to say about Israel/Palestine. To them, Israel is just another awful place half a world away, in the same class as Russia and North Korea when it comes to atrocity.

To them, the conflict is simple. To them, it’s not personal.

It’s personal to me.

When I see American leftists uncritically supporting Palestine, I see the Chicago Dyke March, which ejected Jewish marchers because the sight of a Star of David is “triggering.”

I see the people on my college campus who called for the Jewish center on campus to be repurposed for a college of ‘power and liberation.’ I see support for terrorist organizations like the PLO and Hamas.

I see people who don’t understand the first thing about the Jewish experience. I see people who think Jewish people don’t matter.

They’ll never say it out loud. They like to pretend to support marginalized groups, but because Jewish identity is complex, they don’t think we’re marginalized. They demand that we stop talking so much about the Holocaust, but they bring up the Holocaust as a yardstick for every cause they support, from the plight of Native Americans (appropriate comparison) to veganism (not appropriate in the slightest).

They don’t understand the fear that comes when you realize that you would have been among the six million Jewish people who died, the fear and disgust that come when you hear your Gentile friends debate whether or not they’d hide a Jew. There’s no good antidote to that fear. There’s just the knowledge that as long as you are surrounded by people who differ from you in race and religion, you’re not safe.

The existence of Israel makes me feel safe. Israel, to me, is an example of Jewish strength and resilience. It’s the home of a people who are, above all else, survivors. We survived the Holocaust and all the smaller massacres that came before. We survived when Jordan, Egypt, and Syria mounted a war against us that they were sure we’d lose. We survived again. And again. And again. If Israel had lost even one of those wars, I wouldn’t be here. No one in my family would.

So when I see the Palestinian flag, I see people who don’t understand. People who don’t want to ask. People who want this issue to be simple, black and white, not involving thousands of years of oppression and millions of lost lives. How do I explain to these people that what they want — the “wrong” they’re trying to right — would destroy the only place in the world where it’s safe to be Jewish? I have historical arguments. I have economic arguments. I have sociopolitical arguments. I’d deploy every one of them if I thought it would change those people’s minds about whether or not my family and I have the right to survive.

But it won’t. That leaves me with the emotional argument. If you, the well-meaning leftists of American college campuses, get what you want, where am I supposed to feel safe? Where am I supposed to go?

Report this Content
This article has not been reviewed by Odyssey HQ and solely reflects the ideas and opinions of the creator.
Relationships

10 Facts All People In A Large Family Can Confirm During The Holiday Season

The holiday season can be the best and most stressful time of the year, especially when more people are involved.

1106
kids jumping

The holidays are full of lights, sweets, sweaters, and your favorite movies. There's nothing quite like this period from the beginning of December through January. Christmas, Hanukkah, and New Years. The fun of it all.

I don't know about you but with my large Italian family something is always going on during this season. It can be the most wonderful time of the year while also being the most hectic. These are a few things you know if your family is anything like mine during this time.

Keep Reading...Show less
10 things that happen the second Thanksgiving is over
reference.com

To those who celebrate, you just spent an entire day cooking an elaborate meal with all of your favorite foods. You probably ate your body weight in pumpkin pie and mashed potatoes. What happens now? Oh yea, Christmas. It’s time to take out all of the decorations and Christmas themed things that have been sitting in the attic since last year; it’s time to make a reappearance. So, here are 10 things that happen the second Thanksgiving is over.

Keep Reading...Show less
Adulting

18 Things I Want To Do Now That I'm 18

I'm technically an adult, so I'm legally required to live a little, right?

4383
Happy Birthday Cake

For the entirety of my high school career, I was always seen as the goody-two-shoes. I never got in trouble with a teacher, I kept stellar grades, and when I wasn't doing extracurricular activities, I was at home studying. Even when I did go out, it was usually with a bunch of fellow band geeks. The night would end before 11:00 PM and the only controversial activity would be a fight based on who unfairly won a round of Apples-to-Apples when someone else clearly had a better card (I promise I'm not still holding a grudge).

Now that I'm officially an adult, I want to pursue some new things. I want to experience life in a way that I never allowed myself to do prior to entering college. These are the years that I'm supposed to embark on a journey of self-discovery, so what better way to do that than to create a bucket list?

Keep Reading...Show less
Featured

10 Life Lessons from Christmas Classics

The holiday classics that shaped my life

2692
10 Life Lessons from Christmas Classics
Flickr

The holiday season is full of stress, debt, and forced conversation. While we rush through the month of December, it's important to take a step back and enjoy the moments before they're gone. Most families love to watch Christmas movies, but these beloved films provide more than entertainment. Here are 10 life lessons that I've learned from the holiday classics we watch every year.

Keep Reading...Show less
Featured

15 Mind-Bending Riddles

Hopefully they will make you laugh.

202074
 Ilistrated image of the planet and images of questions
StableDiffusion

I've been super busy lately with school work, studying, etc. Besides the fact that I do nothing but AP chemistry and AP economics, I constantly think of stupid questions that are almost impossible to answer. So, maybe you could answer them for me, and if not then we can both wonder what the answers to these 15 questions could be.

Keep Reading...Show less

Subscribe to Our Newsletter

Facebook Comments