War! or Why You Wont Save the World with Facebook

My whole life I have avoided having an opinion on Israel. As a Jew, there is extra pressure to “pick a side,” but I never felt comfortable doing so because none of the information ever seemed clear or unbiased. In fact, my most common response was “Well, I don’t know, but I can tell you this…when I went to Jordan and Israel as a child the Jordanians were amazingly nice and the Israelis were really pretty horrible.” Which is true. I got in trouble in Hebrew school with my conservative Israeli teacher, she even called my parents into school and their response was “Well, she was actually there, so what do you expect her to say?” I would note though that we were stuck in Eilat the whole time because the center of Israel, of course, was in danger at the moment and my parents decided it was best that we don’t go where suicide bombers are blowing us busses.

I have spent the past six months in Israel, and while there (as all of you know) I have experienced an oh-so-familiar Israeli experience. War. I have never been in war before. I mean, The US is ALWAYS at war somewhere, but they keep it far away from America and most Americans barely even think about it. And I lived in NY for Sept 11^th, and that was scary, but it’s not the same. It’s not the same to know that at any moment some government may make a choice that is going to make life more dangerous, it’s not the same to know friends and friends of friends who have been out of the army for years are being called back to potentially go into a life-threatening war zone, it’s not the same to hear a siren and know that the Iron Dome will intercept it, but still listen in worry for a boom to know you’re safe.

When the rockets started coming more frequently in the South (I say more frequently because it is going on all the time) I had several Israelis explain to me that this was to be expected. It’s the summer. It’s hot. People are cranky. Rockets are firing? Eh, it’s summer, it’s time for war! What was frightening was to see the Israelis around me change their attitude as they saw that this summer would be a bad one, worse that your average summer war.

My first siren I was alone in my boss’ (also my adopted Israeli mother) house. My room is on the fourth floor of her beautiful home in Petah Tiqwa. I had just been talking to an Israeli who lives in NY and he was asking me if I had dealt with a siren yet. When it came on I was slightly confused and then realized what it was. It’s an unforgettable sound. I ran downstairs, assuming I was supposed to go to the basement and not knowing where the mamad (shelter that every single Israeli home is supposed to have) is. In a slapstick inspired moment the alarm of the house also came on as I tried to run down the stairs, not sure what to do I quickly jammed the code in and it blared louder as I put the code in incorrectly. Eventually I gave up and got to the basement, with the siren and house alarm at full blast. I stayed down there for a while as I didn’t know the protocol (you’re supposed to wait ten minutes after the siren, but you try telling an Israeli that). Eventually I went back up to my room, a little shaken but ok. Two hours later there was another siren, but this time the kids were home. I can’t tell you how silly I felt when I walked downstairs and my boss’ two youngest kids were just playing and watching tv like nothing was happening. At this point the rockets to the center (Tel Aviv and the surrounding cities) had just begun and no one was taking it seriously or scared…yet. These kids grew up with it, everyone in Israel has grown up with rockets, whatever fears they might have they stifle because you can’t let rockets ruin your life.

It was then that I heard my first boom, too. That is something terrifying I was not prepared for. When a rocket is fired into Israel the Iron Dome responds. What that means is that as a rocket is flying, two Israeli missiles go after it (two, in case the first one fails) when the Israeli missiles destroy the rocket it makes a very large boom…but I didn’t know this until after my first few booms and assumed that meant the land was being hit (for the record, the land does get hit, the Iron Dome doesn’t intercept when rockets hit open fields or the sea). Sometimes these booms are so close they shake the building. It’s scary. I don’t get scared easily, but to be in the situation is scary. If it weren’t for the Iron Dome there would be huge amounts of damage and more importantly, huge amounts of casualties. I saw an article recently that referred to Hamas’ rockets as “impotent.” That’s simply not true, these rockets are incredibly dangerous and life-threatening and it is only because Israel has spent so much money and used it’s best brains to create a system to defend it’s people. So when you look at the casualty numbers in Gaza and Israel, remember that. The numbers would be far greater if it weren’t for this incredible protective system.

Now, to my real gripe. This is for many of you, mostly in America. I started this post off explaining why I never “picked a side” when it came to Israel. I wish deeply that many of you would try this logic. Your regurgitation of biased articles on both sides is so depressing and so misleading. I see you wringing your hands and beating your chests and lamenting “Oh, I don’t even know what to believe!” You’re right. You don’t know what to believe. The information you get is NEVER without bias. The information you get is NEVER with the full scope of history. You don’t know what to believe? Then don’t believe any of it. Don’t pick a side. Don’t continually post articles and opinions that you can’t fact-check. I recently saw someone post a picture of a beautiful city on top and the ruins of Gaza on the bottom, the text read something like “A beautiful city destroyed for no reason,” except that picture on top was of Haifa, an Israeli city. Now, how is the person who posted that supposed to know? How is she supposed to know that the pictures of bloody children are actually from Syria and not Gaza? I agree it is very hard to know these things. So stop. You’re showing your ignorance and a surprising lack of intelligence.

There is so much you can change, you can affect. Facebook is absolutely a platform that can spark and encourage change. But guess what, no one cares about your opinion here, and it wont change a damn thing. I have seen so often “I feel I should weigh in…” I wonder if anyone says that but Americans, it is such an American frame of mind. Why should you weigh in? You have a PHD in Middle Eastern studies? You served in the IDF? You lived in Gaza for a spell? No? You just have a computer and fingers to type and you’re American so you think you’re opinion needs to be heard for the good of humanity? Well, aren’t you a special snowflake. How righteous of you to spark 40 comment long threads where no one will change their mind or listen to the other side anyway. You’re really making a difference in the world. You don’t want your tax dollars going to Israel? Well good, write a letter to your congressman. DO SOMETHING if it upsets you so much. And while you’re at it, you may want to take a look at all the lovely things your tax money pays for and write a letter about that too.

Look, I’m not saying don’t have an opinion, or don’t discuss the Middle East, but I am saying stop oversimplifying things just for a chance to wave your dick around facebook. Discuss in person, discuss with an open mind. Both sides have valid points and both sides have everything to lose…but you know who has nothing to lose? You. You wont be affected by this conflict, ever. So stop passing judgment and focusing so intently on something that has nothing to do with you. Look in your own backyard if you want to be angry and make changes in the world. Detroit is turning into a third world country. Racism is basically institutionalized in our judicial system. Women are losing the rights they worked so hard to gain. Children are starving while Wall St. bankers shit into golden toilets. Separation of Church and State is nothing more than a punchline to a joke. Politicians are legislating to serve corporations instead of to serve you. YOU CAN DO SOMETHING ABOUT IT. Stop wasting your breath trying to answer questions that cannot be answered (unless you plan to be the next Nobel Peace prize winner, then by all means, please keep focusing on Israel and Gaza). If you really give a shit about helping people, saving people, do it. Do it where you can make a difference, and please, please stop acting like the world’s most difficult international issue is some cut and dry opinion piece you can jizz all over facebook. It’s not.

Finally, I know some of you are awaiting having a conversation with me. I know some of you are anxious to throw attacks at me. I know some of you are genuinely curious and open-minded. Here are some guidelines.

• Don’t ask me to defend the occupation. I wont. I think it’s fucking terrible and needs to end immediately.
• If you don’t believe Israel has a right to exist, I have nothing to say to you. Really. You obviously don’t understand the issues at hand and are almost definitely set in your ways and should probably never mention one word of your bullshit to me.
•  If you support Hamas, see above. Seriously. They are very, very bad and there is no excuse good enough in the world for the kind of atrocities they commit.
• Don’t assume you know what I’m going to say. I was recently at a peace demonstration in Tel Aviv and I have thought long and hard about by own opinion, it is based upon knowledge and experience. You don’t know what I think.  
• If you really think you’re right, on either side, know your history. Don’t talk to me about borders unless you know all about the wars that Israel has fought against it’s neighbors. If you think Gaza is still occupied, you haven’t learned enough to discuss this topic with me.
• Understand that I may not want to talk about it at all. I can’t tell you how many times I have written a comment on one your posts only to delete it because I know the endless internet battle that will follow. I am exhausted by people’s simplifications and accusations already, and that’s only been online. 

That’s it. Bait me at your own risk, or simply be a dear and toast some champagne or shake your booty with me, talking about politics is uncouth anyway.