it-was-me-zion

[it-was-me-zion]

if jews shouldn’t be in israel, and israelis cant be safe in other countries, where exactly are they supposed to go?

An Israeli family vacationing at the De Kampervoorn water park in the Netherlands fell victim to a violent antisemitic assault on Thursday by a group of Dutch individuals of Arab descent who shouted “kill the Jews” and “Free Palestine,” threatening, “We’ll get to your children.”

Dutch police arrested several attackers, but they were released overnight. The park claimed no cameras cover the area and Ynet has obtained exclusive witness accounts of the incident.

The attack coincided with other anti-Israel events across Europe, including the barring of 150 Israeli children from a French resort—leading to the manager’s arrest—and pro-Palestinian activists storming Austria’s public broadcaster ORF in Vienna to protest Gaza war coverage.

M., a family member targeted in the attack, recounted, “My family arrived on time for a pre-booked paintball game. The other family was late. They waited, then started playing without them. After 15 minutes alone, the second group—about 10 Arabs—joined. They were aggressive from the start.

“Within minutes, they threw sand and stones at us. My father went to the supervisor, asking her to stop the game and call police. She barely responded. They kept throwing and when my brother-in-law approached to stop them, they attacked, beating him. He started bleeding within minutes.”

She added, “My father called my brother in a panic, telling him to come fast. My husband and brother-in-law ran over, seeing my brother-in-law and 15-year-old nephew attacked. My nephew was on the ground. My husband tackled his assailant, but soon they pinned him down, kicking and punching him unconscious.

“It was a lynching. My brother and brother-in-law tried to pull them off, taking blows themselves. It took many people to stop it. Police and an ambulance took ages—zero empathy, no apologies. Overt antisemitism.”

He said a few more minutes and my husband might have died. Shockingly, the Arab attackers were released and returned to the park. We’re terrified. It was horrific, a desperate helplessness, pure fear.”

“Israelis are again attacked in the Netherlands. We’re monitoring the case and addressing it through our Hague embassy,” the Foreign Ministry said in a statement. “Israel urges the Dutch government to act firmly, prevent further attacks on Israelis, identify the perpetrators and prosecute them.”

The incident reflects broader tensions, with Israeli vacationers targeted. Earlier this week, anti-Israel activists secretly filmed Israelis at another Dutch resort, posting online calls to track and confront them.

“The current situation in Gaza has deteriorated to such an extent that social unrest is growing worldwide, in Europe, and in the Netherlands. We have told them that we are concerned about the safe organization of the fair if they participate,” he said.

He noted the Netherlands supports partially suspending its association agreement with Israel, adding, “We expected things to worsen this year given the decline in Gaza.”

[it-was-me-zion]

TRAP CARD ACTIVATED! you mentioned “how not to ruin Santa Claus for Christian kids.”

I’ve talked about this before, i think in tags and not in a post itself, but here’s how my brother did that.

My brother was young, and going to school with non-Jews was relatively new to him (we did preschool at our temple) - think kindergarten or first grade. It’s late November or early December, and obviously the kids are talking about winter break and their plans and presents they hope they get.

Well, some kid asks my brother what he wants to get from Santa. At his age, he doesn’t have a perfect understanding of the story of Hanukkah, but he knows the general deal, and does his best to explain that we don’t do Santa, Hanukkah has eight days, and we get presents from different family members on different days.

Because of the nature of children, this is now a competition in the eyes of the other boy, and he starts insisting that Christmas is better than Hanukkah because 1) they get a whole bunch of presents all at once, and 2) they come from SANTA. My brother tries to point out that we get around the same number of presents, just spread out over multiple days, and most of your Christmas presents come from family anyways. Other boy is still very insistent on the superiority of the Santa gift, and sticks to this point.

Now, I can’t say what went through my brother’s head when he did this. I don’t know if he knew Santa wasn’t real and worded it poorly, or if he had half-remembered Saint Nicholas and drew conclusions from there, or just got fed up from the conversation. But what he came out with was-

“Santa’s dead.”

That afternoon, when we got home from school and my brother was talking about it, it was definitely one of those, “we can’t laugh while we explain why he shouldn’t do that” moments for my parents. My parents’ BIGGEST concern, is, of course, that the parents will be upset. So when my mom gets a call from the kid’s mom, she’s ready to apologize - even though, TECHNICALLY, my brother didn’t do anything wrong.

Fortunately, my mother is met with hysterical laughter when she picks up the phone. While the other mom is thankful for the apology, she knows that one, what my brother did was hilarious, and two, her son was being somewhat of an asshole.

I wouldn’t say we tell this story regularly, but it’s one of the favorites.

Your post about Jewish child actors makes me wonder, do Jewish parents have an equivalent of "the conversation" with their children? You know the one, where you have to explain that some people hate you just for being Jewish, and many of them have access to deadly force. I ask because I grew up only two counties away from a neo-Nazi compound.

oh yeah we do.

I mean I'd say roughly there are... maybe 3? "the conversation" for Jews

first is, why is there are security guard, metal detector, crash barrier, big red panic button, etc at the synagogue/Jewish community center/Hebrew school. Pretty much every Jewish space in America is hardened against a terrorist attack at this point. We're spending a huge amount of money and energy on security. The Jewish community is really reliant on community safety grants from the federal government to pay for, bulletproof doors, anti-ramming barriers, metal detectors, and to pay for security guards and stuff.

So yeah Jewish parents have to explain that to their kids and also what they should do if a mad man with a gun comes into the synagogue. So thats the first conversation

the second is, when and where to not tell people you're Jewish, when to hide stars of David, and yarmulkes, and just not say, give a fake not Jewish sounding name. I mean some of us just look Jewish so there's no hope, but maybe you can pass yourself off as Italian or Lebanese. I know a lot of parents with teens who are having this talk with their kids around school trips over seas, but even parents of small kids are coaching them to maybe not let classmates and new friends know they're Jewish right away.

the 3rd is the oldest and the deepest. The when to leave conversation. literally every Jewish family has some elderly relative who tells you not to have any money you can't carry with you. Lots and lots of elderly and these days not even elderly Jews have shoe boxes with cash, gold, and their documents. These days jokes about "go bags" are less jokey than ever in my life. I know lots of Jews in their 20s and 30s who in fact have actual go bags. Our history is littered with dead Jews who misjudged the right time to leave a spiraling antisemitic situation and got stuck and died. And our history is littered with times when we've been expelled or faced "leave or die" offers where we're allowed to take almost nothing. It's a big part of why Jews so often stress education, they can take your bank account, your house, your car, your business, but they can't take whats inside your head. No one wants to be the Jew who judges when to leave wrongly or the Jew who doesn't have any easily movable wealth because they trusted the gentile's word that a bank account was safe. It's a conversation all Jews have among their family with differing levels of seriousness though again more serious now than any time in my life, whats the point, the sign the moment when its too much and we leave, and if we leave where do we go?

[it-was-me-zion]

non-Jews on the internet will say antisemitism doesn’t exist anymore while actively swinging a bat at someone whose nose is slightly too big

non-Jews on the internet will say shit like "antisemitism doesn't exist anymore" and then turn antisemitic dogwhistles and conspiracy theories into memes

[it-was-me-zion]

man smashes windows, carves hole in wall, and walks in through the door and demands you get out of your own house, more at 5

“How can you call yourself a humanist and support Israelis?”

Well, you see, it’s really absurdly simple - Israelis are human beings and I’m against demonisation and dehumanisation and murder and rape and kidnapping being justified on the basis of where any human being happened to be born or calls home. That’s a pretty fucking baseline humanist position.

[it-was-me-zion]

to answer slightly jewishly it is not an act of chesed but it is an act of tzedakah i think

(*i'm talking cumulatively here. for these purposes, you are not allowed to separate this event into two separate acts. also, let's imagine that being called a slur didn't trigger any kind of severe mental health crisis, just a minor annoyance at worst. the money is also real and no one will question how you got it.)

got into a philosophical argument with a semi-popular streamer about this, so i need yall to decide.

[it-was-me-zion]

In happy news Flight Rising finally got back and have finally, finally, finally done something about their misuse of Golems in their game, something which is rampant through out.

They have at responded to me and have now changed all references to different names that are much more accurate and better suited.

[it-was-me-zion]

sweet boy, little superhero who dreamed of being able to “fly and save people who are stuck in a dark pit.” we will never forget you, your brother, and your ima.

you’re still in every orange sunset and every butterfly’s wings 🧡🦋🎗️

[it-was-me-zion]

the ways in which the wikipedia article on zionism has become biased towards anti-zionism with loads of bogus information and subtle comments is really upsetting to me. “zionists wanted to create a jewish state in palestine with as much land, as many jews, and as few palestinian arabs as zionism as possible.” is such an unreal statement to have on the wikipedia page and the fact nobody has gotten rid of this yet is fucking insane. i cant do this anymore it’s unbelievable to me that goyim feel they can take a word they know nothing about and then change the meaning of it to equate to “racist, genocidal colonist”

[it-was-me-zion]

“On the night of 2–3 August 1944, more than 3,000 Roma men, women and children were murdered at Auschwitz-Birkenau. This atrocity marked one of the darkest chapters of the Roma Holocaust, in which up to 500,000 Roma were persecuted and killed by the Nazi regime.

This year also marks the 10th anniversary since 2 August was officially recognised as European Roma Holocaust Memorial Day. This long-overdue recognition was a crucial step toward acknowledging the suffering of Roma communities and confronting decades of silence and denial.

Today, we honour the victims and reaffirm our commitment to remembrance, truth and justice.

Through initiatives like the “RomaMemory” joint EU/CoE programme and our Strategic Action Plan for Roma and Traveller Inclusion, the Council of Europe continues to promote education, awareness and inclusion.

But remembrance must lead to action. Anti-Roma racism remains a deeply rooted and persistent form of racism in Europe. We must confront it – by strengthening protections against hate speech and hate crime, by fostering inclusive education, and by supporting Roma communities in claiming their rights and dignity.

As we mark this sombre anniversary, let us confront the rise of hate speech, racism and the growing disregard for the international legal order forged after the Second World War and the Holocaust.

To honour the Roma victims is to defend truth over denial, dignity over dehumanisation and justice over impunity.

This is what we stand for – and this is what Europe needs”.

[it-was-me-zion]

Hen Mazzig:

BREAKING: Hamas has released another propaganda video, this one entitled "They eat from what we eat."

It features Evyatar David, a Jewish hostage who looks like a Holocaust victim, to put it lightly.

He is nothing but skin and bones, something Hamas wants to blame on Israel as if there isn't plenty of photographic evidence that Hamas isn't lacking when it comes to food in the tunnels.

I suppose it shouldn't be surprising that Hamas would starve a hostage when they are fine with their own people starving, but the cruelty still astounds me.

Evyatar can't last like this. Nobody could. We have to bring them home before it's too late.

The hostage family forum has not approved any documentation of the video or any screenshots from the video at this point. The images are incredibly disturbing to us, but imagine how much worse it is for those who love and know Evyatar. Please consider their feelings first.

alanalindsay:

I am sick of this cruel world. I am sick of those who care about one starving person but not another. I am sick of knowing my own family is being forcibly starved and there is not a word from my progressive peers but then those who do speak loudly about hostage suffering use them to deny or diminish the reality of starving children in Gaza.

I am sick of the so called humanitarians who decided holding Hamas accountable wasn't worth it and still refuse to do so. I am sick of the Bibi apologists and mouthpieces of the state using our suffering, and who now put the emaciated body of Evyatar David on display before his family has approved it while NEVER speaking alongside us or taking to the streets to say to this criminal government, ENOUGH IS ENOUGH. And the American influencers who wear the Israeli flag like a costume and sacrifice nothing while making money off our pain and never demanding to end the war, you are truly worthless.

I am not the one who has failed, my family has not failed. The failure is on everyone both right and left who decided to perpetuate a narrative war instead of all coming together to be anti-war.

Tomorrow Israelis will take to the streets again. They will be from many ideological factions, all coming together to say ENOUGH. If you are not with them or echoing their calls then you stand for nothing. It is too late but it's also never too late.

[it-was-me-zion]

Jojo Rabbit (2019) dir. Taika Waititi

[it-was-me-zion]

this is monumental, so let’s discuss the geopolitics happening at the moment.

the UK, France, and Canada are all saying they’re going to recognize a Palestinian state in September, something they would have previously vetoed. there has thus far been no official discussion from them about what exactly that means - its agreed upon borders, its recognized government, its infrastructure, its responsibilities to its citizens and as part of the broader region. Starmer framed it in terms of punishment towards an ally (Israel) rather than as necessary self-determination for a nation of people (Palestinians), as a way to force the Israeli government’s hand, and that’s causing consternation and pushback. symbolic recognition is not a diplomatic solution, there has to be an actual actionable plan.

Recognition of statehood is not symbolic. Under the 1933 Montevideo Convention, it is a legal status that requires a permanent population, defined territory, a functioning government, and the capacity to enter into relations with other states.

however, with this news from the Arab League finally condemning 10/7 and calling for Hamas to surrender, there’s a need to zoom out.

neither the Israeli government nor Hamas have been successfully convinced or pressured by antagonistic powers to end this, because neither of them are interested in what the opposition thinks. with these recent moves, what we’re seeing is pressure exerted by their allies. in short, your allies are much more likely to have an impact on you than your opponents. this is true in life and in global affairs.

(Alana Zeitchik discussed this in her stories today and made me feel considerably more sane, so all due credit to her because I can’t share multiple video clips here.)

we don’t know what’s happening behind closed doors or who’s negotiating with whom and aware of specifics, and who controls what outcome, but presumably this is a coordinated effort to bring this war to a decisive end and to forge a peace process. whether it will be effective or not remains to be seen, but something has to give here, something has to change.

we should have seen the Arab League and the UN do this on October 8th, 2023, instead of nearly two years into this horrible war and at a tipping point of humanitarian crisis, but the fact that it has finally happened is significant. let us hope this is the beginning of a resolution.

[it-was-me-zion]

STUPID FUCKING PREMISE WITH DUMBFUCK UNDERSTANDING OF GOVERMENT BITE MY BALLS

[it-was-me-zion]

Sharone is Yocheved and Oded Lifschitz’s daughter.

they worked for the principles of peace their entire lives, and Yocheved, even after the horror of captivity she endured, and the murder of her beloved husband, has still been a constant voice for it, as has Sharone.

[it-was-me-zion]

it really is crazy because sometimes i WILL go like god it’s so shit here and it’s been so shit here for thousands of years i wish there was a place where Jews could go and it could just be Jews and we’d be safe and there’d be problems but at least it wouldn’t be mass murder problems. and it’s like. Bud Do I Have A Proposition For You.

typing this out made me realize it but what i want for jews is what happens to the dragons at the end of the httyd books.

[it-was-me-zion]

partly bad because of the overall isolation but partly good and reassuring: I had a friend who i hadn't seen in awhile actually ask how I was holding up, because of the world and recent problems in general, but my friend also specified in relation to antisemitism. And I started bawling. It was partly because yeah things have been awful, but also because it felt so relieving to have confirmation that a goy friend actually truely cares and gets it. No other non Jewish friend aside from my partner has done this. And so it felt so good in general for a friend to specify about this. But also I constantly have a fear deep deep down that there is the chance my goyim friends will leave me for being Jewish for one reason or another. But now I know one (besides my partner) who i have absolute trust never will. And absolute trust is so hard to have. I hate crying in front of others but I dont care. I let them know I was crying because I was so grateful. And I will always cherish the hug I recieved after.

.

[it-was-me-zion]

As a general rule you should be skeptical of anyone online claiming to be a certain demographic while declaring support for very extreme and/or violent policies. You should remember that people are capable of lying on the internet for their own gain and image and the people who get caught faking identities are unfortunately in the minority. Im not saying that you should go out calling everyone who mentions their experiences as x a fraud but I am saying you shouldnt take anything at face value ESPECIALLY if being a member of that demographic would curtail otherwise earned criticism in the context of where theyre claiming it.