" [ My ] personal connectedness to Judaism is cultural , emotional , and interpersonal and is not delineate for me by the state of Israel . "
Since Oct. 7, 2023, Palestinian authoritiesestimatethat over 50,000 people have been killed by Israel’s ground and air assault on Gaza. Nearly 1/3 of those who were killed were under 18 years old, and studies have suggested that the actual number of deceased people may be41% higherthan official estimates.
Yesterday, actor and singerBen Plattvoiced support for the Palestinian people via a series of slides on hisIG story(viathe Express Tribune). Ben’s statement is significant given that multiple members of his family — includingfilm producer Marc Plattandpodcaster Jonah Platt— have been vocal in their support for Israel.
“As a queer Jew who’s personal connection to Judaism is cultural, emotional, and interpersonal and is not defined for me by the state of Israel, I have felt long alienated from this conversation and from a lot of people in my earliest community who feel differently, sometimes to a dogmatic extent,” Ben wrote.
Ben also sharedHacksstar Hannah Einbinder’s recent Human Rights Campaign speech in support of Palestine, which you can watch in fullhere.
“My queerness is a tradition of social justice, as is my Judaism," Hannah said at one point in her speech. “To me, these are traditions of humanity, of care for human life. All human life, equally. As a queer person, as a Jewish person, and as an American I am horrified by the Israeli government’s massacre of well over 65,000 Palestinians.”
“I just wanted to thank Hannah for speaking directly and with heart in a way that made me feel seen and hopeful,” Ben wrote after sharing her speech.
Headhereto find out how you can support Palestinians in Gaza.
