Friends, Qasim Rashid wrote an article in May about the "technical" definition of Holocaust, and in it he powerfully argues for this term. Please check out his article here: https://www.qasimrashid.com/p/holocaust
We owe you thanks for writing this with such honesty and moral clarity. The way you connect personal reckoning during the High Holidays with the urgent demand for justice now is powerful. Naming genocide for what it is will always unsettle people, but silence is far more dangerous.
I had a Jewish grandmother who died in 1927. My mother was a mischling in Nazi Germany. She managed to get to England. Several family members died in camps.
So I carry Jewish blood in my veins. I tried to understand Israel’s actions as coming from generational trauma. But as time passed, it became obvious that Israeli state actions are much more venal. The story of basic human lust for power and greed. It’s ugly and it’s tragic.
Thank you for your clear statement about this Holocaust which the whole world is witnessing in real time.
Thank you for sharing your story, Maya. All of us who are Jewish, Jewish-adjacent, or just empathic and wanting to heal the world have to struggle with how to say this forcefully and clearly so that the world can hear us, and we can fight for what's right.
This resonated deeply with me. I am Jewish—my name is Jewish, my face is Jewish—and I can’t hide from it. But I also can’t embrace the version of Zionism being sold as Jewish ideals.
For me, tikkun olam is the essence of Judaism. Our long history of suffering, exile, and persecution was supposed to make us hyper-aware of others’ suffering—not justify creating more of it. That lesson has been hijacked. Zionists twist our pain into a weapon against the vulnerable, and it’s exhausting to watch.
Articles like this remind me of the real purpose of life: empathy and compassion, especially for the most vulnerable. I can’t change the whole world—or even my friends and family—but I can change myself. When I face hatred for being Jewish, my choice is to turn that into empathy for those being persecuted. Not to redirect hate onto others. Not to use victimhood as a shield for cruelty.
That, to me, is the heart of Judaism.
It’s so wrong that generational trauma, is now being used against vulnerable - when the exact opposite was supposed to happen.
Suffering should be a means to grow as a person, not to turn into the tormentor and loose our humanity.
I’m not religious, but I am a trauma survivor & your comment resonates.
One thing I am dedicated to is…that I wouldn’t wish what I’ve been through on my worst enemy, and I have always believed this & tried to lead myself in this way my entire life. You stated what I believe, beautifully.
Lawrence, this is a beautiful piece. I'm dreading the holiday table this year, but I'll still be there. The work of reckoning needs to be inside the house as well. I may be surprised, I may be hurt, I may be disgusted. I'm honestly not sure what I'll find.
Thanks you, Stephanie, and you are absolutely right: the work needs to happen inside the house--maybe there more than anywhere else. Shanah Tova, my friend.
Well said. It was a beautiful article and he is a good man. My mother survived the Nazi Holocaust. I still and will always carry that intergenerational trauma with me. I don’t want the same for the Palestinians, although Israel has killed so many already. What I always want to tell people is this did not start on Oct 7th, it started in 1948. Sadly, it won’t end until Netanyahu and Trump and Stephen Miller are in prison. I hear you about China and am just as frustrated and infuriated. But, like you said, nobody seems to care. Peace to you and yours.
Thank you so much for this. I'm not Jewish but I am Irish and as a nation we identify deeply with the Palestinians. This is because of our own very long bloody history of being colonized and starved.
It is so important for the world to hear the voices within Judaism who see this for what it is.
In my last job we worked closely with a group called Repair the World (Tikkun Olam). Your explanation here is so powerful. Thank you, Lawrence. For your clarity and for taking the time to let us all see you go deeper.
Trauma does not give us license to pass it on but should teach us to pass it by. By any definition, What's happening could be nothing less than genocide. I salute your courage because I'm sure you'll take flack in your community for saying so.
And by the way, you've only met ONE cat that was a dick?
This made me cry. I had to pause several times to let my eyes clear. Beautifully stated. I’m not religious, but I follow Qasim too.
There are people of different politics, religions, & people like me, non- religious, that follow him for good reason. He teaches critical thinking leading by example. He is an incredible human being & IMO this piece ranks you with him.
Loved this work, Lawrence. I’m living in editing hell with my posts today.
Sometimes it’s better to walk away and return with a clear mind!
Much love and peace.
💜🫶🏼💜
Shout out to the community at Banner & Backbone! Everyone is welcome and there is something for everyone! It’s a loving, intelligent, funny community and sometimes we’re 15 year olds discussing cartoons and characters. Sometimes we’re 80 year olds talking about our various collections!
I have been trying to make people care about the genocide going on in China against followers of Islam but nobody cares about that either. I have ancestors who came from China. It is obviously a Holocaust, as well. The Arabs who follow Islam do not seem to care about this, but it is probably worse that what is going on in Israel because millions of people could be affected. There is no justification for persecuting anyone based on their religion, China deserves just as much condemnation for what it is doing as Israel, we support China more than we support Israel though our millions and millions of dollars of trade with them and they are most favorite nation status for trade. This must stop. It is an outrage.
I would like to add that I have a unique ancestry. I have Jewish ancestors and I have ancestors from China and I have ancestors from Romania (EOC), no one deserve to be persecuted for their religious beliefs, it all horrible and it all must be stopped.
Friends, Qasim Rashid wrote an article in May about the "technical" definition of Holocaust, and in it he powerfully argues for this term. Please check out his article here: https://www.qasimrashid.com/p/holocaust
We owe you thanks for writing this with such honesty and moral clarity. The way you connect personal reckoning during the High Holidays with the urgent demand for justice now is powerful. Naming genocide for what it is will always unsettle people, but silence is far more dangerous.
Gino, I appreciate your words so much. Thank you for reading, and for understanding the deep place this comes from.
I had a Jewish grandmother who died in 1927. My mother was a mischling in Nazi Germany. She managed to get to England. Several family members died in camps.
So I carry Jewish blood in my veins. I tried to understand Israel’s actions as coming from generational trauma. But as time passed, it became obvious that Israeli state actions are much more venal. The story of basic human lust for power and greed. It’s ugly and it’s tragic.
Thank you for your clear statement about this Holocaust which the whole world is witnessing in real time.
Thank you for sharing your story, Maya. All of us who are Jewish, Jewish-adjacent, or just empathic and wanting to heal the world have to struggle with how to say this forcefully and clearly so that the world can hear us, and we can fight for what's right.
Appreciate your work. Thanks.
This resonated deeply with me. I am Jewish—my name is Jewish, my face is Jewish—and I can’t hide from it. But I also can’t embrace the version of Zionism being sold as Jewish ideals.
For me, tikkun olam is the essence of Judaism. Our long history of suffering, exile, and persecution was supposed to make us hyper-aware of others’ suffering—not justify creating more of it. That lesson has been hijacked. Zionists twist our pain into a weapon against the vulnerable, and it’s exhausting to watch.
Articles like this remind me of the real purpose of life: empathy and compassion, especially for the most vulnerable. I can’t change the whole world—or even my friends and family—but I can change myself. When I face hatred for being Jewish, my choice is to turn that into empathy for those being persecuted. Not to redirect hate onto others. Not to use victimhood as a shield for cruelty.
That, to me, is the heart of Judaism.
It’s so wrong that generational trauma, is now being used against vulnerable - when the exact opposite was supposed to happen.
Suffering should be a means to grow as a person, not to turn into the tormentor and loose our humanity.
I’m not religious, but I am a trauma survivor & your comment resonates.
One thing I am dedicated to is…that I wouldn’t wish what I’ve been through on my worst enemy, and I have always believed this & tried to lead myself in this way my entire life. You stated what I believe, beautifully.
Lawrence, this is a beautiful piece. I'm dreading the holiday table this year, but I'll still be there. The work of reckoning needs to be inside the house as well. I may be surprised, I may be hurt, I may be disgusted. I'm honestly not sure what I'll find.
Thanks you, Stephanie, and you are absolutely right: the work needs to happen inside the house--maybe there more than anywhere else. Shanah Tova, my friend.
Shana Tovah to you as well.
Well said. It was a beautiful article and he is a good man. My mother survived the Nazi Holocaust. I still and will always carry that intergenerational trauma with me. I don’t want the same for the Palestinians, although Israel has killed so many already. What I always want to tell people is this did not start on Oct 7th, it started in 1948. Sadly, it won’t end until Netanyahu and Trump and Stephen Miller are in prison. I hear you about China and am just as frustrated and infuriated. But, like you said, nobody seems to care. Peace to you and yours.
Thank you so much for this. I'm not Jewish but I am Irish and as a nation we identify deeply with the Palestinians. This is because of our own very long bloody history of being colonized and starved.
It is so important for the world to hear the voices within Judaism who see this for what it is.
In my last job we worked closely with a group called Repair the World (Tikkun Olam). Your explanation here is so powerful. Thank you, Lawrence. For your clarity and for taking the time to let us all see you go deeper.
Trauma does not give us license to pass it on but should teach us to pass it by. By any definition, What's happening could be nothing less than genocide. I salute your courage because I'm sure you'll take flack in your community for saying so.
And by the way, you've only met ONE cat that was a dick?
This made me cry. I had to pause several times to let my eyes clear. Beautifully stated. I’m not religious, but I follow Qasim too.
There are people of different politics, religions, & people like me, non- religious, that follow him for good reason. He teaches critical thinking leading by example. He is an incredible human being & IMO this piece ranks you with him.
Thank you for your thoughtful, soul-wrenching article. I wish you well.
Loved this work, Lawrence. I’m living in editing hell with my posts today.
Sometimes it’s better to walk away and return with a clear mind!
Much love and peace.
💜🫶🏼💜
Shout out to the community at Banner & Backbone! Everyone is welcome and there is something for everyone! It’s a loving, intelligent, funny community and sometimes we’re 15 year olds discussing cartoons and characters. Sometimes we’re 80 year olds talking about our various collections!
Cmon in! The water is fine!
Lawrence, I'm not Jewish, but that was a fascinating piece! So informative.
It has never been “never again”. Look at North Korea. How many years has that been going on? Sickening.
What took him so long to pen this ??
Why is it required that when a prominent Jewish person declares the on about the Holocaust in GAZA it is news?
Why do so many activists diminish others who have the courage to condemn this Holocaust as less significant?
WTF is driving that narrative
Greg/BLM
I have been trying to make people care about the genocide going on in China against followers of Islam but nobody cares about that either. I have ancestors who came from China. It is obviously a Holocaust, as well. The Arabs who follow Islam do not seem to care about this, but it is probably worse that what is going on in Israel because millions of people could be affected. There is no justification for persecuting anyone based on their religion, China deserves just as much condemnation for what it is doing as Israel, we support China more than we support Israel though our millions and millions of dollars of trade with them and they are most favorite nation status for trade. This must stop. It is an outrage.
I would like to add that I have a unique ancestry. I have Jewish ancestors and I have ancestors from China and I have ancestors from Romania (EOC), no one deserve to be persecuted for their religious beliefs, it all horrible and it all must be stopped.