海角大神

As famine hits Gaza, Jews abroad take a hard look at Israel鈥檚 war

Stephen Wise often holds an 鈥淎sk the Rabbi Anything鈥� session during Shabbat services at his Shaarei-Beth El synagogue in Oakville, Ontario, just outside Toronto.

Since Hamas鈥� Oct. 7, 2023, attack on Israel that left almost 1,200 people dead, the main topics of conversation at the sessions have been familiar: the war in Gaza, Israeli hostages still in Hamas鈥� grasp, and the rising global tide of antisemitism.

But late last month, a new question arose. Someone asked about the plight of Palestinian civilians in Gaza.

鈥淭he first question,鈥� Rabbi Wise recalls, 鈥渨as, 鈥楻abbi, what do we do about what鈥檚 happening in Gaza? There鈥檚 a crisis. There鈥檚 hunger.鈥欌��

Last weekend, Israelis erupted in one of the largest demonstrations since the war began, protesting the government鈥檚 decision to expand the war in Gaza. Among Jews living abroad, however, large protests or strong statements by Jewish leadership criticizing the war have been largely absent.

Yet the question asked at Rabbi Wise鈥檚 synagogue points to a nascent shift in thought, numerous Jewish leaders say. The images of suffering in Gaza have been a tipping point.

Since late July, 聽around the world have signed warning of 鈥渁 grave moral crisis, threatening the very basis of Judaism.鈥� And this week, called upon Israel to address the starvation in Gaza and the violence being carried out by Jewish settlers in the West Bank.

Still, for most in the Jewish diaspora 鈥� especially outside the United States, where Jews are a particularly small minority 鈥� the prospect of speaking out publicly remains deeply unsettling. In Jewish communities that are themselves conflicted, speaking out risks alienation and further division at a time when rising antisemitism is making Jews feel less safe.

The instinct to unify in times of crisis is being tested by misgivings about Israel鈥檚 current government 鈥� the furthest right and most religious coalition in the country鈥檚 history. Support of Israel remains a core part of the community鈥檚 identity. However, the Jewish diaspora is increasingly churning.

鈥淭he flurry of activity in the past few weeks has caused a lot of deep soul-searching in the Jewish community,鈥� says Rabbi Wise. 鈥淚n myself, in my community in Oakville, and amongst my fellow rabbis across the country.鈥�

Horrified by Gaza, but reticent to speak out

The United Nations on Friday officially recognized conditions in Gaza as a famine, though the Israeli government has denied the U.N. report on the situation as an 鈥渙utright lie.鈥�

Many say the images of starvation in Gaza have changed the conversation. 鈥淭he straw that broke the camel鈥檚 back is hunger,鈥� says Colin Shindler, a Jewish commentator and the first-ever professor of Israel studies in the United Kingdom.

But speaking out is a different matter.

In a trend reflected across the West, antisemitic acts in France the year after the Oct. 7 attack. In Canada, police-reported hate crimes against Jews far exceeded those against any other religious group in 2024. Synagogues across the country have implemented extraordinary security measures, such as reinforced doors and active-shooter training. At pro-Palestinian rallies, where Israel is frequently accused of genocide by protesters, many Jews have felt personally targeted, including by progressives who used to be allies.

It鈥檚 created a 鈥渞eal collective defense,鈥� says Mira Sucharov, a political scientist at Carleton University in Ottawa, Ontario, who focuses on Jewish politics and is Jewish herself.

Toronto has Canada鈥檚 largest Jewish population, and many of them arrived post-Holocaust, which leaves them feeling closer to the threat of antisemitic violence, observers say. Some Jewish leaders there are seeking a middle ground.

Yael Splansky, senior rabbi at Holy Blossom Temple in Toronto, includes prayers of healing for the hostages, the wounded soldiers and civilians of Israel, as well as for the innocents of Gaza. She says many congregants are 鈥渟hattered鈥� over the reports of widespread hunger in Gaza and are 鈥渞ightly confused by the conflicting information they are receiving.鈥�

But nearly every aspect of the situation is fraught, leading to different interpretations of accountability, justice, and the way forward.

Rabbi Splansky, for instance, argues that Hamas is too often left out of the conversation.

鈥淢uch of the world has forgotten that Hamas is a recognized terrorist organization,鈥� she writes in an email. 鈥淭hose who wish for a better life for Gazans 鈥� including heads of state 鈥� forget to protest and pressure Hamas, who is holding its own people hostage.鈥�

Others argue that Jewish leadership needs to stand more firmly against the horrors in Gaza, also because those horrors are fueling anti-Israel sentiment 鈥� whether for legitimate or antisemitic reasons.

Mainline Jewish organizations in Canada 鈥渁lways say, 鈥楨veryone hates Israel, the world is antisemitic,鈥欌�� says Jon Allen, a former Canadian ambassador to Israel. 鈥淏ut they make no connection between the war and rising antisemitism.鈥�

In such an atmosphere of insecurity and confusion, there is little incentive for saying anything at all publicly. Jews who do speak out often get accused of being Hamas sympathizers.

鈥淭here鈥檚 a lot of mistrust, a lot of binary thinking, and also intergenerational and Holocaust trauma,鈥� says Professor Sucharov.

鈥淵ou can鈥檛 allow people to starve鈥�

Yet that relative silence is not the same as consent, many say. Jewish leaders have to walk a difficult line not to create rifts within their own community, which are deeply polarized.

鈥淎s a rabbi, you have to be very careful,鈥� says Edward van Voolen, a rabbi in the Netherlands and a signatory of the worldwide letter. Statements from Jewish leaders are often more mild, he says, 鈥渂ecause they have to balance a larger community.鈥�

鈥淢any rabbis won鈥檛 sign those letters for that reason,鈥� adds Lawrence Englander, rabbi emeritus of Solel Congregation in Mississauga, Ontario, who also signed onto the worldwide letter. But he acknowledges that perhaps that鈥檚 not enough. 鈥淚 think if anything,鈥� he says, 鈥渨hat we鈥檙e finding is that maybe our protests have to become more public.鈥�

Rabbi Wise did sign the open letter. 鈥淭here are times when, as a rabbi, I need to say ... 鈥業 support Israel, I love Israel, and because I love Israel so much, I think that I would suggest we move in a path that gets to this end goal of peace, which is what I want.鈥欌��

To find where Jewish thought really is, look at polling, says Dr. Shindler, the Israeli studies professor. He points to a of British Jews by the Institute for Jewish Policy Research. Some 80% say they disapprove 鈥� 65% strongly, and 15% somewhat 鈥� of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.

鈥淭he vast, vast majority of British Jews defend the state of Israel,鈥� he says. 鈥淎 small minority defend the role of its government.鈥�

For Dan Moskovitz, the senior rabbi at Canada鈥檚 largest synagogue west of Toronto, this means finding a delicate balance when criticizing Israel.

In early August, Rabbi Moskovitz gave his congregation at Temple Sholom in Vancouver a sermon about hunger, acknowledging that he was 鈥渄eeply aware of the risks of speaking.鈥�

Those risks are compounded because some in his congregation lost family members on Oct. 7. It鈥檚 because the reasons for starvation in Gaza are complicated, including, he says, Hamas鈥� initial use of food as a weapon against its own people. It鈥檚 because people try to pigeonhole him politically.

But 鈥淚鈥檓 black-and-white on this: You can鈥檛 allow people to starve,鈥� he says. 鈥淎nd I don鈥檛 like what this is saying about us as Jews or Israelis as a nation because that鈥檚 not who we are. We don鈥檛 withhold food from people.鈥�