Daniel Czitrom: Jewish soul? Conflating criticism, antisemitism

While I appreciate Gazette columnist J.M. Sorrell’s honest look into her own roots, as well as her commitment to fighting antisemitism, her column “Jewish neshamah” [March 5] essentially endorses the idea that any criticism of Israel is tantamount to hatred of Jews.

She fails to acknowledge the deep divisions among Jews, both in Israel and the U.S., over Israel’s policies past and present. She conflates as well the murderous attack by Hamas on Oct. 7, 2023, with the legitimate aspirations of the Palestinian people. Has she any interest in the views of non-Hamas Palestinians, many of whom are suffering in Israeli prisons?

Is she even aware of the many Israeli voices, including veteran leaders of Shin Bet and Mossad, who have long warned there can be no real peace and security without a just resolution of the Palestinian question — either their own state or a single binational one?

There have been many interpretations and visions of Zionism since the 1890s. The version currently holding power in Israel is committed to the ethnic cleansing of Gaza, to annexing the West Bank, and to a Jewish supremacism that sees no place for Palestinian rights. Perhaps Sorrell does have a “Jewish soul.” Are all the other Jewish souls appalled by Israel’s reality merely self-hating Jews?

Daniel Czitrom

South Hadley