Letter to the Editor

To the editor:

As a Jew with a deep bond with the state of Israel, I was saddened and ashamed to watch as the Israeli army killed hundreds of Palestinian civilians in the Gaza Strip this summer, and even more so to witness the reactions of many in the Harvard community as students publicly grieved these injustices.

In a letter to the editor Thursday, my classmate David F. Sackstein ’14 wrote that the Palestine Solidarity Committee’s use of the word “massacred” in its demonstration last Monday makes it “difficult to view the citizens of Israel as human beings that share with many Palestinians their yearning for a peaceful future.” I could not disagree more. We should not be afraid to call injustices committed against Palestinians what they are. Doing so does not demonize the Israeli people any more than admitting any injustice demonizes the people whose leaders committed it. Criticisms of Monday’s demonstration, like those in The Crimson’s dissenting staff editorial Friday, for its lack of nuance or “one-sidedness” miss the point. The PSC did represent one side—the side of Palestinian people—and it’s a side every bit as true as an Israeli’s. Rather than shut down conversation we should be listening closely and affirming Palestinians’ experiences.

I experienced a great deal of doubt before deciding to write this letter for fear of offending members of the Jewish community. It shouldn't have to be this way. I am not among a minority but a silent majority of progressive Jews growing increasingly uneasy with Israel's administration. I am like my peers invested deeply in the future of Israel, my second home and the home of my family members. Criticism of Israeli policy does not pose an existential threat to the Jewish people or to Israel. To the contrary, silencing Palestinian suffering does.

Marina N. Bolotnikova ’14

Crimson Editorial Chair Emerita