Two Thirds Done

Thoughts and experiences of an eighty one year old Wild Duck.

Avram Miller by the sea
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587 posts since 2006

Tag: October 7th

  • I Will Not Allow Antisemitism to Steal My Humanity

    The months since October 7, 2023 have changed something in the world as well as something in me.

    The barbaric attack by Hamas on Israeli civilians shook Israel to its core. Families murdered. Women assaulted. Hundreds taken hostage. I spoke almost daily with friends in Israel. The grief in their voices was raw. The fear was real. The anger was overwhelming. I felt it too.

    What followed was a war that has devastated Gaza. Entire neighborhoods destroyed. Tens of thousands killed. Images of injured and displaced children broadcast across the world. As the war unfolded, something else happened. The world polarized.

    Israel was condemned in capitals and on campuses. Protesters filled streets in Europe and America. In some places, criticism of policy blurred into something darker  hostility toward Jews as Jews. Antisemitism reared its ugly head once again. Jewish communities far from the battlefield were treated as extensions of a government they did not elect and may not support. I found myself reacting defensively.

    When people accused Israel of genocide, I rejected the claim. Words matter. Genocide has a definition. I do not believe this war, however tragic, meets it.

    Some spoke as if October 7 had not happened. In some cases, that it was even justified. Hamas targeted civilians deliberately and in the most despicable ways. It knew Israel would respond militarily. It knew civilians in Gaza would suffer. It prepared for both the military confrontation and the public relations battle. Israel was prepared for one of those and not the other. I disagreed with aspects of how the Israeli government handled the war. But I understood the trauma that shaped its response.

    Then somewhere in the outrage, the arguments, and the rising antisemitism, something shifted inside me. I stopped being empathetic.

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  • Israel and the Future of the Jewish People: Part I

    I am deeply saddened and concerned about what has been happening in Israel, especially since October 7, 2023. But it did not begin that day. For years, Israel has been shifting steadily to the right, particularly under the leadership of Benjamin Netanyahu. Ironically, had Arab citizens of Israel voted at the same rate as Jewish citizens, Netanyahu’s coalition would not have secured a majority.

    It is often said that Netanyahu clings to power to avoid the consequences of his bribery trial. While there is truth to that, I believe the greater reality is simpler: he wants to stay in power for the sake of power itself. He has become a megalomaniac, much like Donald Trump, convinced that “he alone” can save his country. Meanwhile, the opposition in Israel has grown weaker and less clear in its leadership. Tragically, the same phenomenon can be seen in the United States. As a citizen of both countries, I find myself living under the leadership of two men I deeply despise.

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  • A Week in Tel Aviv – What I Learned

    Many restaurants show this on their menu.

    We left Israel, where we had been living for eight years, for a trip to Europe on October 3, 2023, stopping first for five days in Bodrum, Turkey. It was there that I heard the news of October 7th. Like so many, I was stunned. We decided to continue our trip in Europe and return as planned on October 19th, but we never went back.

    We had already decided to leave Israel in 2025 for our next adventure, but given the situation, we accelerated those plans. This resulted in a convoluted journey that eventually took us to Amsterdam, where we have been living. But soon, we will move to Italy.

    When I thought about where and how I wanted to spend my 80th birthday, I realized I wanted to do that in Israel. Israel is the only country I have ever loved. It is the only place where I look back when I fly somewhere.

    I knew that Israel would be deeply affected by the war. But in many ways, at least on the surface, Tel Aviv still feels much as we left it—crazy, exciting, gritty, and beautiful. I was surprised to see so much construction still ongoing. During our time in Israel, we were amazed by the sheer scale of construction. I had expected that this would have stopped due to the war. Palestinian workers from the West Bank are no longer allowed to work in Israel, and they played a major role in the construction industry. But Israel has found others to take their place, including workers from China, Sri Lanka, and Nepal.

    There is a deep sadness when speaking with people. Everyone feels personally connected to the hostage crisis. Among my friends, there is widespread anger directed at Netanyahu and his allies. But this is Tel Aviv. I don’t know how people feel in other, more right-wing parts of Israel.

    There is hope that the Middle East is changing and that soon there will be an agreement with Saudi Arabia—and eventually Lebanon and Syria. But no one knows how to deal with the Palestinian issue. How does Israel live next to 5.5 million people who hate Israelis? The brutality of Hamas has left a scar on Israelis that will not heal anytime soon. And the actions Israel has taken against Palestinians will not be easy to forget. I see no solution to this conflict.

    Many Israelis think about leaving, especially if they have—or can obtain—another passport. But for many, it is hard because they love Israel and have close family here.

    The economy seems to be doing much better than one would expect during a war. Israelis are incredibly resilient.

    The airport is still largely empty, but foreign airlines are beginning to return. There are no tourists.

    Trump is very popular in Israel. I understand why, but I am not a single-issue person, and my feelings about Trump are very negative. However, I do not try to explain how I feel to my Israeli friends.

    I hope we can continue to integrate Israel into our lives and visit from time to time.

  • I was born on the day Auschwitz was liberated

    The liberation of the Auschwitz concentration camp occurred on January 27, 1945. Auschwitz, located in Nazi-occupied Poland, was the largest of the German Nazi concentration camps and extermination centers. Over 1.1 million men, women, and children lost their lives there. There were about 7,000 survivors still there. 

    Every year, I spend time thinking of that day on my birthday. But this year, it is different. This year, I am also thinking of the atrocities that were committed on October 7 by Hamas and by the citizens of Gaza (many of them have blood on their hands). It was the largest murder of Jews since the Holocaust.  

    Before the rise of the Nazis, approximately 9.5 million Jews were living in Europe. They killed two-thirds of them, six million men, women and children. Of those that survived, about 700,000 immigrated to Israel. Now, there are only about 1,500,000 million Jews in Europe. Hitler got his wish to rid Europe of Jews. Half the world’s Jewish population is in Israel, Where Iran and its proxies try to eradicate them. But they are supported by hateful and antisemitic people around the globe. When people say “from the river to the sea,” they mean the eradication of the only Jewish state, Israel. They call Israel a genocidal country, not even understanding what that term means, while they themselves call for the eradication of the Jewish state. 

    Today is my birthday, but I can’t celebrate it. I mourn the loss of those who were brutally murdered on October 7, the hostages living in the concentration camp of tunnels built by Hamas, and the death of so many of my dreams for Israel. I also think about the loss and pain of the people of Gaza, who have been so poorly served by their leaders, who cynically forced Israel into taking the actions it has and will have to continue to take.