Dear Patricia.
Thank you for reaching out. I appreciate you taking the time to let you me know your views on Israel and the current situation.
I want you to know that I hear you and that I understand.
I understand that since the Jewish people began, the nations of the world have done everything in their power to wipe us out.
I understand that throughout history, horrible lies have been spread against us, accusing us of the vilest crimes, and that always these lies were accepted as fact.
I understand that the same governments and nations that claim to champion life, liberty and the pursuit of justice always have a different standard when it comes to the Jews.
I understand that pseudointellectuals and self-proclaimed free thinkers will always attack us under the flimsy guises of “hearing both sides,” “Taking an objective view,” and “having an enlightened viewpoint.”
I understand that when you defend yourself it is justified, but when we do it is considered aggression.
I understand that your outrage will always be selective.
I understand that nothing we do will ever meet all the double standards you set for us.
I understand that no matter how much we assimilate and how much we contribute to the public good, we will never be accepted.
I understand that no matter the age or the country, in your eternal narrative we are always fated to play the villain.
I understand that you will believe anything the enemy says about us, although they have been proven liars again and again, but nothing that we say ourselves.
I understand that in this event, like all others in history, you will ignore facts and evidence so that we will always be to blame.
I understand that you will remain silent while we are being brutally murdered in an announced attempt to exterminate us, but will shout at the top of your voice the moment we fight back.
I understand that we will never gain your approval.
I understand that we will always be outsiders.
I understand our survival will anger you.
I understand that the simple fact is, our continued existence is, has been, and always will be a source of unpleasantness for you.
But I need to you to understand some things as well.
We don’t care.
We will not apologize for surviving.
We will not justify our very right to exist.
We will not feel guilt for fighting against murderers, rapists and monsters who commit crimes of unspeakable horror.
We will not back down against evil when it threatens us and those we love.
We will not give up our homeland after waiting for almost two millennium to get it back.
We will not offer ourselves up as willing sacrifices to live up to your insane one sided ideals of nonviolence and peacefulness.
We will not abandoned the beliefs and values we have held for more than 3000 years to curry your favor.
In fact, we will continue to exist.
We will continue to defend the land we are indigenous to.
We will continue to hold on to the faith that has sustained us throughout long exile.
We will continue to fight against demonic peoples who committed the worst atrocities the modern world has ever seen.
We will continue to stand for morality and truth, even when the rest of the world has lost the meaning of the words.
We will continue to choose life and to protect the lives of others, even at the expense of our own.
We will continue to stand against evil and hatred, even if we must stand alone.
We will continue to exist, just as we have for thousands of years, and just as we will continue to long after you and your culture have been consigned the dustbin of history, as were so many before you.
And if all this is hard for you to understand.
Well, I could say that I’m sorry, but I’m not.
Kindest personal regards,
Ilan Goodman
Ilan Goodman is a museum collections professional and exhibition curator. He also serves as a rabbi and educator. He made Aliyah in 2011 and lives with his wife and children in Beit Shemesh.