What is Never Alone?

Guiding principles of this substack

Hey, tribe. I am so glad you decided to check out Never Alone. To make sure this substack is truly for you, here are my overarching beliefs and guiding principles:

1.      This is a substack for progressive Jews who love Israel. I am addressing progressive Israel-loving Jews when I say that as of today – mid-February of 2024 – I have been watching you go mad in your attic for four straight months now. I have watched you be bullied out of your cherished progressive spaces. I have listened to you cry. I’ve heard you say you feel abandoned, betrayed, isolated, alone and politically homeless. I am writing this substack to show you that you’re not alone. As Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat told us, children of Israel are never alone. And I’m going to make sure you’re not homeless. I’m going to make this place your home.

2.      You should know at the outset that I don’t believe Israel is perfect by any measure. Both the Palestinians and Israelis have done terrible things. This isn’t a child’s morality tale. I have no interest in pretending Israel is pure or spotless.

3.      Having said that, there is absolutely no moral equivalence between Israel and Hamas and no justification in this universe or any other for the latter’s actions on October 7^th. Burning families alive, raping women and children so hard their pelvic bones break, and torturing 1200 citizens to death, one by one, in a single day is not resistance, it is not freedom fighting, and it is not decolonialism. It is sheer unadulterated sociopathy.

4.      Palestinians deserve better leaders than the ones they have always had. In the 75+ years that Israel has been a state, the Palestinians have never had leadership that wasn’t morally bankrupt. This is a tragedy that has hurt Palestinians more than anyone else. I know there are many on the other side who want to live in peace and give their children a future worth having. I pray this will happen within my lifetime and I won’t stop working toward that dream.

5.       The deaths of non-combatant Gazans -- especially children – in the current war is another heart-mangling tragedy. We can’t let ourselves be at peace with that.

6.       But whenever I ask anyone how else Israel can or should take out Hamas and dismantle the 400+ miles of terror tunnels beneath every inch of the Gaza strip, no one can ever tell me. Netanyahu can’t be ousted from the current Israeli government soon enough for me, but I don’t know what Israel could do right now other than what it’s doing. If Yitzhak Rabin came back to life and assumed the helm of the government today, I believe he would do the same thing -- because as far as I can tell, there is no other option.

7.      I’m aware that a huge number of people believe that the current war is being driven by Israel’s desire for revenge, that it represents a disproportionate response, and that it even qualifies as genocide. None of these things are anywhere near the realm of truth. The 25-mile Gaza strip covers over 400 miles of terror tunnels that cost more than $2.6 billion to build over many years. Israel withdrew from Gaza in 2005 completely and unilaterally in a bid for peace. In return, Hamas coverted every single inch of the strip into a terror compound. Israel cannot leave it there and they cannot leave Hamas there. We are not obligated to sign the death warrants of our own children to protect theirs. Demolishing a network of tunnels more extensive than the NYC subway system is killing a lot of civilians. Again, this is tragic beyond words –  but again, I haven’t heard a viable alternative even once after 4 months of asking for one.

8.      This is an unapologetically progressive and Zionist space. If you believe Israel is committing genocide or if you’re calling for an unconditional ceasefire, this isn’t the substack for you. On the other hand, absolutely no racism, internalized anti-Semitism, homophobia, transphobia, Islamophobia, or misogyny will be allowed here. This means no sweeping generalizations about Palestinians, Muslims, Arabs or anyone else.

9.      I ask every single subscriber here do their very best to make this community a safe, uplifting and generous space for every single member. No personal attacks, no incivility, and no piling onto the people you might disagree with. I devoutly wish to promote Jewish unity and I want every interaction here to be in that spirit. We have enough to deal with from everyone else without turning on each other.

10.  The entirety of this substack will always be free to anyone who needs it to be free. For those who can show me support, a paid subscription or other contribution is overwhelmingly appreciated. I am leaving a very steady line of work to do this for free and that terrifies me. At the same time, I can’t go on another day without putting my voice to what I believe is its highest and best use right now. Please choose a paid subscription if you possibly can or send support in any amount to my venmo.

Till tomorrow, with deep love for all my people.

Am Yisrael Chai.