I have similar experiences with my Facebook friends - unlike you I don’t hold back from posting on matters that concern and interest me. To a most disinterested audience! This has been disheartening at best, infuriating at worst. No one seems to care. I love Substack for this reason. I’ve never met anyone here irl, but I feel more connected in many ways than I do with my old FB friends.
I had a girlfriend facetime me to check in on me after this week. She is not Jewish and what she said was," I know how horrible I feel, I can't imagine how you feel." Other friends never said a word. I think alot of them truly feel this has nothing to do with them and with all the horrors in the world why is this worse, to them the war is Gaza is the same as the war in ukraine. Something far away. Or me feeling generous, some people truly don't know what to say so they say nothing.
My SIL asked the same question after October 7. Where were all her friends? People she has worked with for decades, not one of them asked her if she was ok. I think we underestimate our worth to some people and I think we underestimate how most people are selfish. if they don't see a direct connection to their lives, they truly simply don't care.
I think that is why we have a nice community here on substack, to support each other and give each other a shoulder when we need it.
Now as far as those melting down over Trump, they need to grow up. As I told my adult sons, if you don't like that Trump won, there are alot of activist groups to join to support and volunteer for. Work to fix what you don't like. Just bitching on facebook is virtue signaling. It reminds me of the people who put proBLM signs on their lawn in the all white enclaves that they live in. If you can't get off your butts to help then keep quiet.
And yes, I would love to see some old recipes. I'm always on the hunt for new cooking ideas.
Thanks for offering a recipe, but I don't eat chili; and yeah, it would be *really* nice (not to mention decent) if the world would be enraged at what happened to the Bibas family.
One of my "as a Jew" non-Zionist Jewish former associates just posted this. Note that this is HER opinion, not mine:
This post is for non-Jews to explain something that has happened inside the community. I think there is now officially a divide between "Israel First" Jews and "Humanity First" Jews. We aren't the only people who have this kind of problem -- I think probably all religions have it. For example, the Christians who believe Christ was about "love your neighbor as yourself" vs the "Love only your white, Zionist Christian neighbor as yourself" etc.
But its so painful to witness, to experience. Like all Jews I was and am horrified by the events of October 7th. Hamas is disgusting and they lie constantly and I was shocked to see some celebrate the events and heroize Hamas.
However I was NO LESS horrified to learn of the actions the Israeli government took the very next day: turning off all water, electricity and food to the entire population of Gaza. The Israeli government is disgusting and it lies constantly.
But after the Bibas family's return to Israel this week, I think there's no going back. The "Israel Firsters" are now openly calling for genocide -- for the murder of all in Gaza: "they are all guilty".
The "Humanity Firsters" are disturbed, outraged, saddened by the illegal kidnapping of all the hostages, especially the children. Children hostages! Babies. However, I am NO LESS pained by the death of so many - tens of thousands- of Palestinian children.
To me it feels like, and I am so upset to say this, it feels like Hitler has won. The memory of the Holocaust- the trauma we experience and pass on to our children (on top of so many pogroms) has poisoned the minds of too many Jews, and now it is we who are calling for genocide. I mean, 6 million of us were put into camps and then ovens while our neighbors were silent, so some amount of generational trauma is understandable, right?
But now we even turn a blind eye to the rise of Nazis and Fascists here, who are increasingly open about their hatred of our people, because, well, Israel above all.
"Never Again" was meant to be for anyone anywhere. Once it means "Never Again" but only for the Jewish people t loses all meaning and betrays the lesson of the Holocaust.
In the comments I share link to a video and lyrics to a Daniel Kahn song called "Nakam" which means revenge. I am grateful to my 16 year old for introducing it to me.
Sadly this woman is incredibly stupid. But her stupidity gives cover to the antisemitic person who wants to jew-wash their genocidal intent towards Israel. And yes, the Jews have had enough of being slaughtered with impunity.
I don't know too many people calling for genocide? revenge?sure. Revenge against Hamas and the murderers. If there are those calling for slaughtering all Palestinians how she makes the leap that that means every Jew or Israeli who loves Israel is truly fantastical. And her nonsense about fascists here in the US is absurd. She sounds unstable.
Not sure what humanity first judaism is. Does she cite a biblical or theological text or is this her made up nonsense?
And that she doesn't understand the difference between kidnapping and brutally murdering babies and children caught in the crossfire of war again shows her stupidity.
I have similar experiences with my Facebook friends - unlike you I don’t hold back from posting on matters that concern and interest me. To a most disinterested audience! This has been disheartening at best, infuriating at worst. No one seems to care. I love Substack for this reason. I’ve never met anyone here irl, but I feel more connected in many ways than I do with my old FB friends.
Lovely looking salad!
Yes it is frustrating ! I’m a grateful for Substack community!
This was a lovely essay!! Would you be interested in being a guest author on my substack
Wow I would love to ! I just subscribed to you. What would you be interested in a post about?
I had a girlfriend facetime me to check in on me after this week. She is not Jewish and what she said was," I know how horrible I feel, I can't imagine how you feel." Other friends never said a word. I think alot of them truly feel this has nothing to do with them and with all the horrors in the world why is this worse, to them the war is Gaza is the same as the war in ukraine. Something far away. Or me feeling generous, some people truly don't know what to say so they say nothing.
My SIL asked the same question after October 7. Where were all her friends? People she has worked with for decades, not one of them asked her if she was ok. I think we underestimate our worth to some people and I think we underestimate how most people are selfish. if they don't see a direct connection to their lives, they truly simply don't care.
I think that is why we have a nice community here on substack, to support each other and give each other a shoulder when we need it.
Now as far as those melting down over Trump, they need to grow up. As I told my adult sons, if you don't like that Trump won, there are alot of activist groups to join to support and volunteer for. Work to fix what you don't like. Just bitching on facebook is virtue signaling. It reminds me of the people who put proBLM signs on their lawn in the all white enclaves that they live in. If you can't get off your butts to help then keep quiet.
And yes, I would love to see some old recipes. I'm always on the hunt for new cooking ideas.
Because it seems you may have missed it and might bring you some measure of comfort: Shiri Bibas' actual body has been identified and returned:
https://abcnews.go.com/International/israeli-hostage-shiri-bibas-body-returned/story?id=119057405
I know. I saw. I rarely miss anything in the Israeli news. I'd probably know if there was an outbreak of e coli.
Thanks for offering a recipe, but I don't eat chili; and yeah, it would be *really* nice (not to mention decent) if the world would be enraged at what happened to the Bibas family.
Yeah, I have a friend who's kinda like that too... <sigh> I send her a lot of stuff from Times of Israel & JTA, so she'll know what's going on.
One of my "as a Jew" non-Zionist Jewish former associates just posted this. Note that this is HER opinion, not mine:
This post is for non-Jews to explain something that has happened inside the community. I think there is now officially a divide between "Israel First" Jews and "Humanity First" Jews. We aren't the only people who have this kind of problem -- I think probably all religions have it. For example, the Christians who believe Christ was about "love your neighbor as yourself" vs the "Love only your white, Zionist Christian neighbor as yourself" etc.
But its so painful to witness, to experience. Like all Jews I was and am horrified by the events of October 7th. Hamas is disgusting and they lie constantly and I was shocked to see some celebrate the events and heroize Hamas.
However I was NO LESS horrified to learn of the actions the Israeli government took the very next day: turning off all water, electricity and food to the entire population of Gaza. The Israeli government is disgusting and it lies constantly.
But after the Bibas family's return to Israel this week, I think there's no going back. The "Israel Firsters" are now openly calling for genocide -- for the murder of all in Gaza: "they are all guilty".
The "Humanity Firsters" are disturbed, outraged, saddened by the illegal kidnapping of all the hostages, especially the children. Children hostages! Babies. However, I am NO LESS pained by the death of so many - tens of thousands- of Palestinian children.
To me it feels like, and I am so upset to say this, it feels like Hitler has won. The memory of the Holocaust- the trauma we experience and pass on to our children (on top of so many pogroms) has poisoned the minds of too many Jews, and now it is we who are calling for genocide. I mean, 6 million of us were put into camps and then ovens while our neighbors were silent, so some amount of generational trauma is understandable, right?
But now we even turn a blind eye to the rise of Nazis and Fascists here, who are increasingly open about their hatred of our people, because, well, Israel above all.
"Never Again" was meant to be for anyone anywhere. Once it means "Never Again" but only for the Jewish people t loses all meaning and betrays the lesson of the Holocaust.
In the comments I share link to a video and lyrics to a Daniel Kahn song called "Nakam" which means revenge. I am grateful to my 16 year old for introducing it to me.
Sadly this woman is incredibly stupid. But her stupidity gives cover to the antisemitic person who wants to jew-wash their genocidal intent towards Israel. And yes, the Jews have had enough of being slaughtered with impunity.
I don't know too many people calling for genocide? revenge?sure. Revenge against Hamas and the murderers. If there are those calling for slaughtering all Palestinians how she makes the leap that that means every Jew or Israeli who loves Israel is truly fantastical. And her nonsense about fascists here in the US is absurd. She sounds unstable.
Not sure what humanity first judaism is. Does she cite a biblical or theological text or is this her made up nonsense?
And that she doesn't understand the difference between kidnapping and brutally murdering babies and children caught in the crossfire of war again shows her stupidity.