Thank you this thoughtful essay. I've had to disengage from social media for a while as it's become way too toxic since 10/7.
I've got to re-read this piece a few more times, but I appreciate the info on the academic background of "progressive" thought. I don't know if "progressive" is the right word though - maybe "far Left"? I'm progressive and pro Israel, and can hold multiple truths simultaneously. I know lots of progressives who aren't Hamas supporters.
Maybe I'm wrong, but it seems like so much of the worldwide reaction is just plain old Jew hatred. Old blood libels repackaged with a modern twist. The silence regarding the unspeakable atrocities on 10/7 has been so telling it feels like a watershed moment.
I didn't know you're on the faculty of CU. I'm an alum and live very nearby. While I was instructed on this conflict (circa 88) I don't know if all students are, so if they say it's "too complicated" I think that's a fair statement. Not all students follow politics. As to the behavior on campus, I have no words other than disgusting.
Some people say they're pro-Palestinian and anti Hamas - have you seen that?
In the fog of war and hate (esp online) I appreciate your consise and compelling voice of reason. The images of carnage being live streamed on Instagram are horrifying and driving a lot of hate. Perhaps people don't know that War is Hell? Imagine if the Allied bombings during WW2 could have been live streamed?
Hang in there and keep on writing - you're making a difference, like a lighthouse in the dark fog.
It’s one thing to share your experience as a Jew threatened by antisemitism. It is also acceptable to talk about how politics affect your job or the role of trauma.
However, I think it’s best you use your Substack to promote topics in FM and instead use other forms of social media to express your beliefs.
Thank you Jeremy. Let's hope it is possible to be a Zionist and a pacifist. Dr. Bregman, this is not a fair representation of the conflict, "I say this not based on the lengths to which the IDF will go to avoid harming noncombatants - which is not only considerable but unique in the history of warfare -". 15,000 dead Palistinian civilians would seem to indicate otherwise. Your arguments re. Fanon and university students' activism etc. are intriguing but you need to do some more homework to see this conflict from both sides.
I’ve lost all capacity to respond, but I’ll try: Bibi and his coalition of thugs, bigots, and felons have destroyed the ideal of Israel as a light unto the nations as surely as their tanks and bombers have destroyed Gaza and its generations of children and infants. I am a Zionist and a pacifist, possibly irreconcilable positions, but there it is. I’m not naive about Hamas’s unrelenting rocket attacks, and certainly not about the obscenity of 10/7. Nevertheless, we hold the military -- whether German, Russian, Serbian, or American -- accountable for “just following orders.” Will one IDF fighter outside or above a hospital, say “I will not do this?”
Excellent piece as always. Sam Harris has two terrific podcast episodes on this topic: The Bright Line Between Good and Evil and Gaza & Global Order (a long interview with Yuval Noah Harari
Very well put. There are tons of videos showing the sheer ignorance (and the stupidity) of many pro Palestinians supporters. In Europe you have another phenomenon: far left political parties adopting pro Islamic narratives in the hope this will gain them the Muslim votes. This is very cynical, but also racist, not only towards Jews that they throw under the bus, but also towards the Muslims that they essentialize.
Dear Dr. Bregman -
Thank you this thoughtful essay. I've had to disengage from social media for a while as it's become way too toxic since 10/7.
I've got to re-read this piece a few more times, but I appreciate the info on the academic background of "progressive" thought. I don't know if "progressive" is the right word though - maybe "far Left"? I'm progressive and pro Israel, and can hold multiple truths simultaneously. I know lots of progressives who aren't Hamas supporters.
Maybe I'm wrong, but it seems like so much of the worldwide reaction is just plain old Jew hatred. Old blood libels repackaged with a modern twist. The silence regarding the unspeakable atrocities on 10/7 has been so telling it feels like a watershed moment.
I didn't know you're on the faculty of CU. I'm an alum and live very nearby. While I was instructed on this conflict (circa 88) I don't know if all students are, so if they say it's "too complicated" I think that's a fair statement. Not all students follow politics. As to the behavior on campus, I have no words other than disgusting.
Some people say they're pro-Palestinian and anti Hamas - have you seen that?
In the fog of war and hate (esp online) I appreciate your consise and compelling voice of reason. The images of carnage being live streamed on Instagram are horrifying and driving a lot of hate. Perhaps people don't know that War is Hell? Imagine if the Allied bombings during WW2 could have been live streamed?
Hang in there and keep on writing - you're making a difference, like a lighthouse in the dark fog.
It’s one thing to share your experience as a Jew threatened by antisemitism. It is also acceptable to talk about how politics affect your job or the role of trauma.
However, I think it’s best you use your Substack to promote topics in FM and instead use other forms of social media to express your beliefs.
Thank you Jeremy. Let's hope it is possible to be a Zionist and a pacifist. Dr. Bregman, this is not a fair representation of the conflict, "I say this not based on the lengths to which the IDF will go to avoid harming noncombatants - which is not only considerable but unique in the history of warfare -". 15,000 dead Palistinian civilians would seem to indicate otherwise. Your arguments re. Fanon and university students' activism etc. are intriguing but you need to do some more homework to see this conflict from both sides.
https://www.washingtonpost.com/world/2023/12/03/gaza-premature-babies-dead-nasr/
I’ve lost all capacity to respond, but I’ll try: Bibi and his coalition of thugs, bigots, and felons have destroyed the ideal of Israel as a light unto the nations as surely as their tanks and bombers have destroyed Gaza and its generations of children and infants. I am a Zionist and a pacifist, possibly irreconcilable positions, but there it is. I’m not naive about Hamas’s unrelenting rocket attacks, and certainly not about the obscenity of 10/7. Nevertheless, we hold the military -- whether German, Russian, Serbian, or American -- accountable for “just following orders.” Will one IDF fighter outside or above a hospital, say “I will not do this?”
Kol haKavod.
Thank you for this literary food for my soul.
Only because I had to save the best for ksst
A wonderful and terrifying piece. Is this our descent into a chaos from which we cannot escape?
Frightening.
Excellent piece as always. Sam Harris has two terrific podcast episodes on this topic: The Bright Line Between Good and Evil and Gaza & Global Order (a long interview with Yuval Noah Harari
Very well put. There are tons of videos showing the sheer ignorance (and the stupidity) of many pro Palestinians supporters. In Europe you have another phenomenon: far left political parties adopting pro Islamic narratives in the hope this will gain them the Muslim votes. This is very cynical, but also racist, not only towards Jews that they throw under the bus, but also towards the Muslims that they essentialize.