I have been asked by many what my views on KDVP Scarfgate are and here goes: Josh Broombergs wearing of the Palestinian scarf as a symbol of humanity for the Palestinian people while seemingly noble to some is deeply hurtful to Israelis that the issue of humanity is raised in this conflict it does not seem to extend to us. I dont expect him to understand what it is like to have your life governed by sirens and shelters but as Deputy Head Boy of a Jewish day school at a time of high tensions it was foolish of him to take sides so blatantly. Where is the empathy for Israelis? I am also sure on some level he was aware that his actions would raise the ire of the community who are already feeling vulnerable and hurt at the tsunami of hate they face. BUT - we are in a time where we are losing many of our youth because if they do not toe the line, they become outcasts. At the risk of losing them to the other side because of our intolerance of their views, however hurtful they may be to us is dangerous. The irony of it all is that Josh represents the National Debate Team where ideas and discussion are paramount and BOTH sides need to be fairly represented. I would suggest engaging with him on the above issue and it is here where we can argue statistics of the civilians of Gaza, the use of human shields etc etc. Please dont let us resort to bully boy tactics and shut people out because they dont toe the line. At this time, Israel is fighting for her very existence and our democratic nature is one I value so deeply. We need to create safe spaces for debate and discussion so that all streams of Zionism are represented and petitioning and castigating a teenager is contrary to this. Josh Broomberg is more than welcome to debate the issues with me - perhaps he will find equality in humanity but dont let us lose ours and become the very entity we are fighting against.
Posted on: Sun, 10 Aug 2014 05:24:05 +0000
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