It’s not possible to write an article soundly titled “The Jewish Perspective.” Just as with the human race in general, there are, of course, many varying points of view within the Jewish diaspora.
Rabbi Mendel Mintz has lived in the Valley since 2000 and founded the Chabad Jewish Community Center in 2014.
He’s witnessed a lot of support coming from the Valley’s non-Jewish community in the wake of the Oct. 7 terrorist attack against Israel. This included a large turnout at an event held for the Israeli hostages at Gondola Plaza in November.
“People stop me, whether at City Market or the ski mountain, saying that ‘we’re praying for you, we’re thinking of you,’” Rabbi Mintz told The Sopris Sun. “I think the overwhelming, significant majority of people have just been tremendously warm and kind in their deeds and words.”
Oct. 7 was a Jewish holiday, Simchat Torah, so the Chabad congregation was already together at the time. “There aren’t words to describe how we felt. We were just tremendously concerned and worried about our brethren — brothers and sisters — in Israel, hearing of such a vile and vicious attack on innocent men, women and children and how savage it was.”
Israel is a small country, and the world’s Jewish population is just approaching pre-holocaust numbers. Even people in the Valley have friends or relatives whose lives were lost during the Hamas attack, or who are among the hostages still being held under duress or are missing.
Within the congregation, Rabbi Mintz said that there may be some disagreement over the technicalities of Israel’s response in Gaza — “What they should do or shouldn’t do, how to do it,” he said. “But everyone is in agreement with one voice: that this is something that needs to be responded to.”
He said it’s bizarre that people would accuse Israel, “a western liberal democracy,” of genocide, when Hamas has (or has had) it in its Covenent to annihilate the Jewish race. In 2017, Hamas updated its charter, but still did not recognize Israel as a state.
He said that the intention has to be there for someone to be considered antisemitic. “All humans make mistakes and say things maybe [because of] their lack of sensitivity or lack of knowledge,” he stated. However, he added, “To me, antisemitism is when someone has a double standard. When they are silent when there’s all kinds of killings going on … and suddenly when Israel is defending itself against barbaric behavior, they’re very worried and concerned about humanity. I think that’s very telling and speaks for itself.”
He brought up that there are non-Jewish Arab Israeli citizens who, in fact, make up 21% of the country’s population. There is Arab and Muslim representation within Israel’s parliament and serving on its highest court.
According to a Reuters story in November 2023, “Asked if they feel part of the country, 70% of Arab citizens polled said ‘yes,’ up from 48% in June, the Israel Democracy Institute said, describing it as the highest finding for the sector since it began such surveys 20 years ago.”
When it comes to municipalities considering ceasefire resolutions, Rabbi Mintz said there is a reason we have local, state and federal governments. He added that adopting the resolutions, particularly without insight from the Jewish community, is effectively offensive.
He said the attack of any civilians, Arab and Jewish, is heartbreaking, “but the blame lies with Hamas which attacked a sovereign nation.”
“Our hope and prayers are that there is a speedy and complete victory, because that will end the suffering for all innocent people,” he concluded. “But it’s clear and obvious what the end result needs to be for the betterment of humanity.”
Another point of view
Jessica Richardson lives in the Valley and is Jewish. Her ancestors fled Eastern Europe due to the pogroms in Russia and later the Holocaust.
She said she fears that increased retaliation and civilian casualties only emboldens resentment of Israel and, by proxy, the Jewish people.
“Part of why this conflict is so deeply personal to me is that I really do not believe it makes us safer. I believe it puts us more in danger and I believe, especially with the political climate right now, we are not safe. There is real antisemitism on the rise … It is a scary time to be a Jewish person.”
In 2016, while visiting Israel at 19 years old on birthright, she spent some time in the West Bank. At the time, she was discouraged by her fellow travelers from doing so because she might be “raped or murdered.” In the West Bank she saw that some roads were designated for Israelis and others for Palestinians, and described it “like stepping into the Jim Crow South.”
She met a Palestinian taxi driver who toured her around Bethlehem, invited her into his home to have tea with his sister and introduced her to kunafa, which she described as a cross between baklava and cheesecake.
“He showed me the wall and the checkpoints and all of the roads that he could drive right up to but couldn’t drive down,” she explained.
Richardson encourages that local governments pass ceasefire resolutions.
“We’ve tried talking to our state officials, we’ve tried talking to people at the national level and have just hit a wall,” she said. “It’s not a case of making this a municipality issue solely, it’s a case of trying to raise this issue at every level.” She argued that such resolutions can impact the decisions made within the higher echelons of government.
She acknowledged that ultimately people want the same thing. “We want safety for the Jewish people and for Palestinians, it’s just figuring out how to get there,” she concluded.
