Dear Editor,
Amy Chozick’s recent commentary, lamenting the deep-seated issue of anti-Semitism in Ireland, is indeed a poignant read (“We transitioned from perusing Dalkey property listings to pondering whether our Jewish-Irish lineage could find solace in Ireland”, Opinion & Analysis, October 28th). Her reflection on the distress she and her husband experienced while viewing the social media activity of Irish contacts following the horrific massacre of 1,200 individuals by Hamas last annum is deeply distressing, provoking shame in the notion that Jewish individuals could potentially question their safety based on their ethnicity within the realm of Ireland.
Despite acknowledging the key tenet of Judaism that regards every life as a universe and applies equally to the Gaza child and the kibbutz child, shortly after reproaching Leo Varadkar for his depiction of Emily Hand, the Irish-Israeli girl captured by Hamas, as “lost”, she admits to experiencing heartfelt sorrow “for the loss of life in Gaza”. The current Gaza situation is far from being a mere natural calamity. The loss of lives in this region bears no resemblance to the misplacement of a set of keys, nor should it be compared to the loss of Israeli lives in the dreadful October 7th strike. A significant number of innocent Palestinian adults, children, and infants are continually being physically and mortally harmed with weaponry sponsored by the US and operated by the Israel Defence Forces. – Yours sincerely,
CONOR RODDY,
Muskegon,
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Michigan, US.
Dear Editor,
It was disheartening to read Amy Chozick’s piece, detailing the growing wave of antisemitism globally, which, sadly, many Jewish individuals have had to face since the devastating events of October 7th, 2023. The unfortunate fallout of the Israel-Gaza skirmish has provided an opening for the rise of hidden anti-Semitic sentiment.
It is necessary to state that, despite the presence of some antisemitic individuals in Ireland, the numbers are likely negligible. The same goes for the minor fraction of the Irish populace backing the governance and tactics employed by Hamas.
A common mistake made by many global analysts is the blurring of Ireland’s age-old support for Palestinian justice and nationhood, and the stern denunciation of the current right-wing supremo of Israel, Binyamin Netanyahu, as being an expression of anti-Semitism.
Several of our nation’s political figureheads, including current President, Michael D Higgins, and past President Mary Robinson, have consistently distinguished between antisemitism and the condemnation of an Israeli administration that has acted unrestrained, with protection from the Biden administration, leading to the loss of thousands of innocent Palestinian lives.
However, several narratives find it more convenient to blur such differentiation, thereby making the substantial Palestinian and Lebanese mortality figures more acceptable and justifiable to ignore, rather than acknowledging the fairness of Ireland’s stance on the Israel-Palestine relationship.
Yours sincerely,
Cynthia Carroll,
Newport,
Co Tipperary.