I’ve had multiple family members deployed to active warzones.
Whenever we talked about war, it was never about politics. It was always “X’s tour is supposed to finish next month,” or “I heard something happened near [town], wasn’t X deployed near there?”
I know how everyone talks about it on the internet, but what is it like for you at home?
Zionism wasn’t just taught to the boomer generation in America their entire lives, there was no other concept at all. The reality was that Jews belonged in Israel and no other context was provided. It was true for our Jewish education, too, but the internet and global media has changed things. It’s really hard to get someone to understand that we are not Israel and Jews are not Israel. We are not them and this is something we should be condemning. I had a bit of a time just getting my father to come around to the idea that a ceasefire might be a good idea on account of all the children being killed. That’s how deep this goes even oceans away.
There’s a synagogue right in the center of Munich that has been flying the Israeli flag since the October 7 attacks. At the time fair enough but now? I just don’t understand it. The Israeli flag is guarded by road spikes, police with MPs as well as private security (rather the synagogue is but that’s where the flag is after all) while showing the Palestinian flag can get you arrested. All in the name of combatting antisemitism. It’s one big powder keg.