Whether for truth, or for perpetuating propaganda, there will always be a unique voice. Those unique voices do not determine what the truth is, and though the background these voices may have seemingly given them some legitimacy, when all is said and done, they alone cannot replace your pursuit of the truth.
What do I mean by this?
I have a friend… well, probably a former friend at this point. Her grandmother is a Holocaust survivor, and she believes Israel is wantonly committing genocide in Gaza. Seems like a pretty unique voice in this space. Anyone trying to figure out what is going on might look at that as a pretty convincing argument for the anti-Israel side. I mean, come on. A Jewish elder who survived the Shoah with this contrary opinion about Israel? Sheesh. What she’s saying must be true.
But taking this lady’s advice, or her granddaughter’s version anyway, and coming to a conclusion based on that is immature and lazy for two main reasons; and I’m not going to even get into the history or geopolitics this time (you can read my previous articles for that). The two reasons are:
There are Holocaust survivors who would vehemently disagree with her. My wife and I happened to know two of them personally. The late Irving Roth is in the first picture, holding our first born. The late David Mermelstein is in the second picture with me on Capitol Hill advocating for Israel, Both were powerhouses, and both stood strongly with Israel.
There are just as equally unique voices on the other coin, like Arab Muslims who love Israel. Those who were brought up all of their lives to hate Jews and the Jewish state who had an awakening of their own. People who grew up in places like Lebanon, Syria, Bahrain, Morocco. The picture below are friends I made and hosted on a panel at an event last year. You can learn more about them here.
Now, the only reason I have or had personal connections to these types of people is because my family and I have been in the Africa-Israel space for almost two decades. Even if you don’t think you have that kind of access, just the knowledge that these types of people exist should keep you from taking an opinion as gospel just because it happens to be a unique one.
Yes, there are Jews who hate Israel. Yes, the African National Congress in South Africa is anti-Israel. Yes, there are even Israelis who spread propaganda about Israel. All of those things mean something, and don’t mean anything at the same time.
There are also Muslims who love Israel. There are also millions upon millions of South Africans who vocally disagree with the ANC and love Israel themselves. There are South African leaders who speak out against the ANC’s actions, like my father in-law here. There are Black Activists like Angela Davis who are on one end of the spectrum, and there are other contemporaries of hers who are very much on the other.
What does this all mean?
Nothing replaces doing the work yourself. Nothing. Weigh everything against your best research possible to get to the truth. Yes, it’s interesting that someone who belongs to X group is saying Y. Interesting indeed. It doesn’t may Y true. It just makes it interested that they’re saying it.
In your pursuit of truth, you also may find some of why someone from X group is saying Y, which will deepen your understanding and strengthen your resolve. This article is one example of that for me personally.
Whoever is still following what is happening in the region, check it out.
I happen to be the child of Holocaust survivors, all of whom have now passed away. It pains me every time I hear someone who is 2nd or 3rd generation condemn Israel because of what their parents or grandparents suffered. My survivor parents, aunts, and uncles, few as they were, would reject this perversion of their suffering outright. I learned early on not to stew in the fake empathy of victimhood. When someone says over and over, out loud and proud, that they want you dead because you are a Jew, especially one who stands up for one’s right to be sovereign in one’s own land, you either believe what they say or you will die or contribute to the deaths of your own people. As Menachen Begin said, we are not Jews on trembling knees anymore.
It is one of the weirdest parts of being human that two (or more) people can come to polar opposite conclusions based on the same reasons. I support Israel because of my family's Holocaust history, while a former friend of mine condemns it because of hers.