Michael Balaban's Update on the War in Israel

- Michael Balaban
President & CEO of the Jewish Federation of Greater Philadelphia

A story is a powerful tool. There have been so many moments throughout this war when tales of suffering and death have broken my heart, and when tales of bravery and selflessness have inspired me.

But when you tell a story, you control the narrative. And having that power requires you to handle it with responsibility. This week we heard many outspoken voices sharing their own stories. 

When Jewish film director Jonathan Glazer’s movie “The Zone of Interest” – which focuses on the family of an Auschwitz commandant – won the Oscar for Best International Feature Film on Sunday, he refuted his Jewishness and the Holocaust being used to justify the war in Israel.

In an age where users on social media platforms twist soundbites into something they’re not, speeches like this are dangerous. Whether Glazer meant to denounce Israel defending itself or was simply upset at the prospect of war and suffering in general, his words are still helping to fuel a new wave of antisemitism, one where Jews and Israelis are being villainized simply for wanting to live.

This type of hatred spreads like wildfire on platforms like TikTok, where there was a 912% increase in antisemitic comments in just one year. Which is why yesterday’s vote in the House of Representatives to ban TikTok was so monumental – this is a major step forward in addressing anti-Jewish hatred and we must all continue to urge our representatives to pass this legislation in the Senate as well.

In a world where these hateful narratives are spun so easily, it was refreshing and deeply moving to hear the firsthand testimonies of Israelis from our Partnership2Gether region this past week as they spoke to 1,060 community members at over 40 events around Greater Philadelphia.

One of the many stories we heard was from Esther Marcus, the manager of the Sdot Negev Resilience Center clinic in Southern Israel, which we, at the Jewish Federation of Greater Philadelphia, proudly support year-round through our Annual Campaign and through our Philly Stands With Israel Emergency Fund. Esther survived the Oct. 7 massacre in Kibbutz Alumim, less than two miles from the Gaza border, by hiding in a tiny safe room with seven of her family members for a day and a half. There were over 80 terrorists inside her kibbutz during that time, with gunshots and screams ringing out around them.

Since then, Esther has set up resilience centers all across Israel, working with survivors to address their trauma from Oct. 7 and from their time in evacuation, and preparing them to return to the kibbutz this summer. Two months after the massacre, her husband died suddenly of a cardiac arrest while working on their dairy farm.

Esther’s story is just one of so many remarkable accounts of resilience and strength of spirit that show the dire reality of living in Israel right now. Oren Cohen, Ronit Bart, Gal Horev, Tali Lidar and Edit Asor also shared their testimonies, and I am thankful to each one of them for so courageously spreading the truth. 

I pray that all of those suffering in Israel may find healing and that those around the world will be responsible enough to heed their stories.

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