MIDDLEBURY-CCM Holland Mills' letter itself is filled with untrue statements and harmful rhetoric, which I, as a member of the Jewish community, cannot let pass without comment.
Mr. Mills claims that the recent military action in Lebanon wasn't for defense. That assertion shows either woeful ignorance or deliberate malice.
Since Oct. 8, 2023, Hezbollah has launched almost 9,000 rockets at Israel, resulting in the deaths of 46 Israelis and forcing 70,000 Israeli citizens to leave their homes. Israel tried to stop missile attacks by carrying out specific operations, such as shutting down Hezbollah's communication systems and pagers.
Going into Lebanon was a necessary next step. Denying that these measures were defensive actions ignores the facts on the ground - and missiles flying through the air!
The letter also claims, "Many Jews are camping outside of Gaza, eager to settle the ruins and claim the land as their own, the latest of many ethnic cleansings on behalf of the chosen." This statement - complete with its antisemitic insinuation that Jews consider themselves superior to others - is nothing more than hate speech directed against us and our religious values.
I think it's naïve not to mention that there may be a small number of Jewish extremists who want to resettle Gaza, but they are the exception, not the rule. The vast majority of Israelis have no such intentions.
Moreover, it's deeply unfair to accuse Israel of ethnic cleansing while ignoring that over one million Jews were forced to leave Arab countries - Egypt, Iraq, and Tunisia, to name a few - after Israel's establishment in 1948. This occurred despite the fact that Israel was created following a U.N. resolution authorizing a two-state solution.
Jews accepted the mandate; Palestinians and Arab nations rejected it, attempting instead to wipe out the new state of Israel and annihilate its Jewish inhabitants.
The libelous claim that Israelis are usurpers and colonial settlers flies in the face of history. Jewish communities have existed on that land for thousands of years, thriving long before the birth of Christianity and Islam, though Jews were repeatedly driven away. We kept returning and have no intention of leaving again.
The Roman Empire, the architect of the second long exile of Jews, renamed the land "Palaestina" (Palestine) in an ethnic cleansing strategy meant to erase all memory of its Jewish character. In 1948, the West Bank (also called "Judea" and "Samaria") experienced a similar ethnic cleansing when Jordan forced out all Jews and destroyed ancient synagogues and cemeteries. Mr. Mills' so-called "facts" come from plainly unreliable sources.
Israel, like any nation, is fair game for criticism of its policies and conduct. However, Holland Mills' letter isn't a criticism of what Israel does - it's a display of hostility toward Jewish people.
Why does The Commons allow such intemperate talk? Are people who hate Jews welcome to spread their falsehoods in your pages? I ask you to think about the damage diatribes like this letter can do.
For many people in the Jewish community, seeing obvious lies and blatant hate speech is not just hurtful but also isolating and divisive. Words are powerful, and when you give people of ill will a platform to spread their lies unchecked, you abuse First Amendment rights and risk enabling hate speech.
This kind of rhetoric fosters disrespect, ill will, and harm in the broader community.
Marv Greenberg, DVM, CVA
Middlebury
This letter to the editor was submitted to The Commons.
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