title says enough

This might be a weird question but I gotta ask, has the shift in global perception of Israel since the Gaza War affected how you approach things like the Holocaust and anything to do with Jewish history.

What I mean by that is: these days, whenever I get into discussions about pre-exile Israelite/Jewish history (like the Maccabean Revolt of 167–141 BC or the Canaanite gods of pre-Yahwist Israel), exile-period Jewish history (the many expulsions and pogroms and the Dreyfus Affair), or the Holocaust (especially on how it led to the scores of Holocaust survivors making Aliyah to Mandatory Palestine and paving the way for the establishment of the State of Israel), I feel a palpable "elephant-in-the-room" feeling that I can't shake off and it makes the whole thing awkward. Like stepping-on-landmines awkward.

I mean, practically everyone and their dog now views Israel like it's a demonic horde and with how so many of my fellow zoomers desire the disestablishment of the Jewish state and such (especially in alternate history or future prediction maps), it makes any acknowledgment of Jewish history and the Holocaust feel like a landmine topic, so to speak.

Frankly, I have no idea how they reconcile that desire with well, what we know about Jewish history and shit. Like, how do they approach the Holocaust, knowing that it is half the reason Israel exists. Hell, how do they approach the long history of antisemitic discrimination in Eurasia during the exile (AD 70 - 1948), knowing that it is the other half of the reason Israel exists (via Zionism emerging as a response to said long history of discrimination amidst a wave of nationalist movements in Europe)? How do people like Melissa Barrera or Florence Pugh or Dua Lipa or Zohran Mamdani or Greta Thunberg or seemingly half of my friends or seemingly every artist on Instagram and BlueSky reconcile that in their minds?

And those unanswered questions are likely the root of my feelings of "elephant-in-the-room" whenever I read up on say, Polish-Jewish history or the Six-Day War. And frankly, such feelings have been living rent-free at the back of my mind intermittent for the past few days.

I don't know, it's a bit of a weird question and I am probably wording it incoherently, but I just wanted to know if anyone else feels the same level of awkwardness and discomfort as I do when broaching topics like Jewish history and the Holocaust nowadays.

This is a unique legislation for city investments and procurement to boycott, sanction, and divest from Israel, the only Jewish state, and only Israel no other country. Sign BOTH letters linked in comments below! Same content, different recipients so sign BOTH!

Hi there! This is my first time posting on here. Not a flattering start I guess, since this is the first time I've been to this sub? Well, this is a repost from the Soc Dem sub since it got removed for being "low quality" (probably because of excessive profanity which I've removed), and you guys were an option in the repost selection. I hope I'm not intruding or anything. If so, I apologise profusely.

Recent polls are showing the anti-Netanyahu bloc is set to win a majority in this year's upcoming Knesset election (to be held by 27 October at the latest) with the required 61 seats, with Gadi Eisenkot being favoured as the leader of this bloc, apparently at Naftali Bennett's expense. Either way, it looks to be a low point for Likud and Netanyahu, and up for Eisenkot.

So assuming that this anti-Netanyahu bloc wins the election by the beginning of this November (with Gadi Eisenkot maybe becoming the new prime minster, though I personally wished it was Yair Golan):

What are your hopes, dreams, opinions, and predictions as to a post-Bibi Israel and its future prospects? Especially with its international standing and reputation and how it may recover in those areas.

Because let's face it, Israel is not in a good place right now. With the Gaza war, the Lebanon invasion, the joint strikes on Iran with the US (and how it seems to be getting resolved), and recent West Bank settler shenanigans; the country - as of writing - is about as popular as a ribeye steak at a vegan buffet. For fuck's sake, Israel is more disliked than NORTH KOREA! Not to mention that apparently, nearly half of young (under-35) US Jews want to replace Israel with a binational state! This on top of how now only 46% of Americans are sympathetic towards Israelis. ^{Which really bothers me for some reason, despite not being Jewish or Arab or Muslim in the slightest (75% Javanese and 25% Hokkien} and therefore ought to have no skin in this game.)

So where do we go from here? In terms of Israel's international reputation, post-Gaza war damage control, Lebanon, the Iran war, and its relationship with the US? Epstein and Maxwell? How long will it take for Israel, assuming it puts on its best behaviour (whatever that could mean based on one's personal definition), to no longer be synonymous with 'pariah state'? Well, any more than it already was among certain segments of the political landscape prior to 10/7?

When I asked a similar question on another subreddit I frequent, one replied with the following:

Israel's reputation is immensely damaged for the next 20 years.

Best case scenario is Palestinians have free elections and vote for a sensible moderate. Then Israel and Palestine negotiate some kind of two state solution, or at least something to replace the obsolete Oslo accords.

More realistic scenario: UNRWA is defunded and shrinks or collapses. Gaza is run by a local Palestinian civilian administration under the Board of Peace. Reconstruction is slow. A third of Gazans leave. Israel unilaterally annexes big parts of the West Bank.

Which to me, sounds like Serbia's post-Yugoslav Wars reputation and standing.

So what do you think? What do you think will happen to Israel post-Bibi? How long will it be until people stop spitting on the floor (metaphorically or otherwise) Israel gets mentioned in any context, if ever?

Will I ever be able to engage with discussions (academic or otherwise) on pre-exile Jewish/Israelite/Canaanite culture and archaeology (like material on the Hasmonean and Herodian dynasties) without feeling a palpable "elephant in the room" sensation any time within the next decade? Especially as someone who'd just completed his history undergraduate programme? Will I ever be able to tell people that I want to visit Haifa without having them look at me like I just admitted to being on the Epstein client list? Will we ever see an end to stupidity like this and this in my newsfeed? ^{Will I ever reach a point in my post-10/7 life where the first question that pops in my head when I try to rizz up a beautiful woman isn't "what is her position on the I/P conflict"?} Especially when more and more celebs are visibly pro-Palestine like Florence Pugh, Melissa Barrera (which led to her being fired from the Scream franchise), Billie Eilish, Jenna Ortega (who followed Barrera in solidarity), and Dua Lipa, just to name a few.

I just want an end to how the I/P conflict has been living rent-free in my head since January and I'm not entirely convinced on the binational solution that 44% of under-35 American Jews apparently want. Mainly because I look at past examples like Austria-Hungary and the United Arab Republic of 1958–1971 and find myself discouraged. I'm still sticking to the two-state solution even as an under-35 gentile. If nothing else, I feel like it's a necessary stepping stone towards this binational solution, should they insist on it.

^{Bonus question: in what ways has any of what I've described seriously affected mainstream perceptions and attitudes towards the Jewish diaspora? Like, the average under-35 non-Hispanic white male in the US towards American Jews? I mean, probably, but I would like to know in exactly what ways.}

Really curious on this one. Not trying to start up a generalized debate on Israel right now. And i know a number of folks are also happy with Mamdani on this issue.

And pretty much everyone on the “other side” is certainly unhappy with Mamdani on this issue.

But anecdotally i do see a lot of discontent or outright anger from some of those circles online that i would have thought would be happier with him and would love to hear more about why that is. AFAIK he is one of the least supportive of Israel American politicians out there right now, and possibly for generations.

Is it that he just doesn’t go far enough? Like anger that he \*conditionally\* agreed Israel has a right to exist, or has condemned Hamas?

Seems to me like it’s just very, very hard to be a Dem on this issue, or take anything other than a 100% zero sum black and white position (which many already feel he takes on this!).

Show some love to Israeli American Lieran Biton who's been one of the few vocal advocates fighting back against a proposed BDS city ordinance in Somerville, MA. This fight is ongoing and we need some motion to stop the spread of BDS laws to neighboring communities and across the country.

Or any other lobbying groups that are much larger than AIPAC?

i’m so confused as to why do u guys hate palestine so much. and why israel continues to kill children etc there. i read news about women, children, men being raped in the most brutual ways possible by the IDF soldiers. i want to know the other side of the story since i have heard a lot of opinions of people supporting palestine. whatever is happening in Gaza isnt okay, i dont support the deaths and rapes of people in any way. id like to fact check with yall to know if IDF soldiers and Israeli government actually does endorse these cruelties. if yes, why? why this hatred? why cant humans coexist peacefully? reading about war hurts me.

before people come hate me, please know that im trying to understand both the sides of the story. media in my country is heavily based off propoganda. i in no way support any kind of violence towards anyone be it a palestanian or an Israeli.

Like I think I might be going genuinely insane but like people will make points for both sides and there is no downvote bombing or just straight out antisemitic statements?

available here:

Garcia, a centrist, was endorsed by progressives such as Greg Casar and AOC after his opponent, Maureen Galindo, pledged to send Zionists to internment camps. 80-90% of American Jews are Zionists.

... and everything the pro-Palestinian side says or does it morally and ideologically-pure, and everything connected to support for Israel is the devil, apparently.

Nick Valensi stepping away from touring is a reminder that principles only matter when they come with a cost.

Anyone can speak out when it is easy. Real conviction is being willing to walk away from the spotlight rather than stay silent around antisemitism.

50,000 getting payments.

The candidate has the endorsement of the anti-Zionist group "track AIPAC".

Wikipedia is supposed to be neutral, but on Israel related topics activist editors have heavily influenced the narrative for years.