I just wanted to address some of the stuff that’s been going on in Israel and Palestine, and mention a few things that have been coming up for me:
So, first off I want to say that I know it’s a very hard situation for a lot of people. And right now, it’s very important to center the humanity of everyone. This is something I noticed come up multiple times in our November workshop at JYCA. People called for the need to acknowledge and center humanity, which I find a vital part of this. All lives are sacred, and the people that have been and are being killed aren’t just numbers. They were actual people, and we need to take time to remember that, and consider everyone who is being and has been affected.
I myself, not having direct connections to specific people in either Israel or Palestine, can find it hard to connect to this specific aspect. However, I think this makes it even more important to me to remember the humanity of each and every person on both sides.
This level and scale of violence is not okay, and never will be. Pain and suffering, at any scale, are awful things. I definitely also would like to say that acknowledging the suffering of one group doesn’t minimize another group’s suffering. Many things can be true at once, and this is one example of that.
Right now, I think it’s very important that we prioritize taking care of each other. Whether or not we share the same views, we can still care for each other in times like this, where so many people are hurting. And a lot of big feelings can come up around this for us and others. We may be feeling anger, grief, sadness, frustration, or so many other things right now. And it’s important that we take time to acknowledge, discuss, and/or just feel these things. It’s good to take time for this, and also support each other through whatever they may be feeling.
JYCA, for me, has been a lovely space for this. I feel that it has been a wonderful and supportive community for all of us members of JYCA to talk openly about how we are feeling, and it has allowed us to process it together. No matter people’s beliefs, JYCA is such a welcoming space where we can all take care of each other, which is so, so important, especially right now. And not only this, but it feels very helpful for me to specifically have a space with other Jewish youth. It feels to me that as a Jewish person, I am tied into this issue, and so it feels very valuable to be able to discuss issues like this with other youth, who despite having a different experience than me, may also be tied to it in a similar way. When you support JYCA, you are supporting me and other Jewish youth through the difficulty of this moment.
I hope that you take time for meaningful conversations with people you care about, and take a few of these values away with you. Thank you.
— Tova (any pronouns)
Current Youth on the Communications Committee