“When you lay siege to a city,” states Deuteronomy 20:19, “you must not destroy its trees.”
The Torah provides clear guidance. Even during wartime, under the harshest circumstances, Jews are instructed to exercise restraint and maintain proportionality. Over centuries, rabbis further elaborated on this concept. The principle of bal taschit forbids needless destruction, a rule particularly pertinent in military engagements where the chaos of conflict can lead individuals to rationalize destroying everything in their way.
Defenders of Israeli Government policy might claim that Israel is not deliberately causing starvation in Gaza, viewing the famine as an regrettable byproduct of war; however, established Jewish texts are unambiguous. The notion of Adam Mu’ad L’Olam indicates that individuals bear responsibility for their deeds—even if not directly intended. Given that starvation is a foreseeable result of Israeli policies, Jewish doctrine holds Israel morally accountable.
This accountability extends beyond Israel to those who support its actions. For us Jews in influential roles, simply staying informed by reading news or watching television and feeling distressed is insufficient. We must insist that our government terminate this engineered hunger crisis. Daily reports detail children dying in Gaza from malnutrition, and mothers too emaciated to nurse their infants because they lack milk. Those who react to this appalling situation by validating the historical grounds of “sieges” or remarking that “if Israel truly intended to kill everyone, the death toll would be far higher,” are engaging in a moral outrage, and if we fail to object, so are we.
While not irrational, these apologists appear to think that Hamas’s actions justify any conduct by Israeli soldiers, no matter what it is. Omer Bartov and Peter Beinart termed this the Holocaust’s “blank check.” The underlying logic is that having suffered the ultimate atrocity, Jews are permitted to take any measure to avert its repetition. Today, October 7th is presented as the justification for virtually all actions. This perspective isn’t irrational, but it represents a profound disgrace, a schande.
Within Jewish tradition, shame, or schande, signifies more than an individual’s personal feeling of having violated a moral standard. It is, rather, a collective sense of dishonor, of being impure and perceived as such.
From a psychoanalytic perspective, shame is linked to revelation—the experience of being observed for one’s authentic self. For example, British psychoanalyst Donald Winnicott conceptualized shame as the distress of one’s true self being uncovered in unanticipated ways. Similarly, Austrian-born American psychoanalyst Heinz Kohut characterized shame as a “narcissistic injury”—the inability to meet an imagined ideal self-perception.
For many Jews of my generation, raised with an idealized image of the Israeli citizen-soldier defending a nation encircled by adversaries, current events are deeply unsettling, mirroring Kohut’s description. The images of suffering resulting from Israeli military strategies despite Hamas’s refusal to yield are distressing for nearly everyone to witness. As a Jew, I feel schande due to the haunting question: Is this who we have become following the October 7th massacres? Or, more disturbingly, is this truly who we are?
Antisemites are, predictably, capitalizing on the situation. Those who harbor animosity towards Jews have historically claimed Israel’s malevolence and its connections to powerful global elites. They have consistently dismissed the significance (or existence) of the Holocaust and refuted Jewish historical claims to the Holy Land. Whether identifying as nationalists or progressives, antisemites readily interpret Gaza’s current moral calamity as exposing an inherent truth about Jews in the Middle East: that they are outsiders there.
Yet, Jews belong in Israel. I am one of many who have consistently supported Israel as a Jewish state aiming for equitable treatment of all citizens and peaceful coexistence with its neighbors. I am one of many who have felt pride in its achievements, voiced criticism of its failings, and expressed concern over its vulnerabilities. However, now something more profound exists: the schande, the deep shame witnessing a nation I respect engage in such extreme brutality.
I acknowledge the continued presence of hostages in Gaza, and the horrific events of October 7th remain unforgotten. Nevertheless, this does not absolve me of the duty to voice my concerns about the current circumstances. I find no reassurance when individuals highlight that the United States and numerous other nations have committed grave misdeeds during wartime. Nor do I find solace in the argument that Hamas prefers to sacrifice Palestinians rather than surrender. In what reality could these arguments justify the daily images we witness: the savage killing of innocent individuals through starvation? Certainly not within the framework envisioned by Jewish tradition.
The Talmud states, “one is always forewarned,” a principle Maimonides interpreted in the medieval era to mean that individuals should be conscious of potential harms arising from their actions. People are accountable for the harm they inflict, whether deliberate or accidental. Rashi, in the 11th century, emphasized that if harm was foreseeable, there is an obligation to rectify it—irrespective of intent. Israeli leaders should have foreseen the suffering they are inflicting on innocent civilians, and they must now abandon their current strategies to deliver food and medicine to these individuals with utmost urgency. While Hamas is undeniably wrong to dehumanize Palestinians by using them as human shields, this does not legitimize Israel’s dehumanization of Gazans, treating their suffering as mere collateral damage.
When experiencing shame, individuals frequently attempt to sidestep the problem through evasion or by exhibiting heightened anger and destructive behavior. However, when prompted to confront the origins of their shame, and when they admit their errors, transformation becomes achievable. Leaders of US organizations connected to Israel ought to insist that the nation ceases this indiscriminate devastation.
We must urge that the schande emanating from Gaza serve as a stark warning to Israel to abandon bal tashchit and move towards the critically needed rectification (an immediate ceasefire, earnest peace discussions, and substantial food and medical assistance for the area).