For Jews worldwide this is the time of Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur, our New Year and our time of atonement. I cannot experience this sacred season in silence.

Let me be clear: I love Israel and the Israeli people. The Hamas-led attack on southern Israel on Oct. 7, 2023, in which about 1,200 people were killed and hundreds of others were taken hostage, was a tragedy perpetrated by a terrorist organization. The hostages must come home, and Hamas must be destroyed.

Israel has a right to defend itself, but not a right to launch an absolute war on the Palestinian people, as is being conducted by the Israeli government and army under the leadership of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. Families are starving. Children are buried under rubble. Hospitals and schools are being destroyed. Access to water and medicine has been cut off for an entire population.

Those facts led an independent United Nations commission to conclude that “there is an intent to destroy the Palestinians in Gaza through acts that meet the criteria set forth in the Genocide Convention.”

Like many in the Jewish community, I struggle to grapple with this issue. It is an issue that has starkly divided synagogues across the country into a two-sided debate over humanity. I choose to stand with Israelis, not with Netanyahu. I choose to stand with the innocent people of Gaza, not with Hamas.

No one deserves to live under the constant threat of rockets. The Iron Dome missile defense system was built to protect Israeli neighborhoods, schools, and synagogues. It is hard to imagine what it would be like to need an iron dome over our towns because our children could not walk outside in safety without it. That is the reality Israelis face every day.

No one deserves to live with their lives hemmed in by barriers and blockades. For Palestinians, checkpoints and permits decide whether a mother can reach a hospital, a student a classroom, or a worker a job. Imagine if every trip to the store required military approval, or if electricity and water failed day after day. That is the reality Palestinians face every day.

Netanyahu has failed. Instead of defending Israel’s security or protecting Jewish values, he has chosen collective punishment. He has bombed neighborhoods, starved families and driven millions from their homes. He has not made Israel safer, but has instead made it more vulnerable, isolated and divided. His war on Gaza is not a strategy for peace. In his pursuit of a one-state solution, in pursuit of political domination, he is alienating allies and fueling antisemitism abroad.

And let us be honest: endless war does not make Israel stronger. It drains its economy, isolates it from the world, fuels hatred and guarantees that every child born in Gaza will grow up angry and hopeless. That is not security. That is a cycle of blood that makes the next rocket, the next massacre, the next war inevitable.

True security will not come from bombs. It will come from borders that are recognized, from regional agreements that guarantee safety, and from international partners ready to enforce peace on the ground. It will come from Palestinians who can live with dignity in their own state, rather than desperation in rubble. It will come when Israelis and Palestinians alike know they can walk through their neighborhoods without fear.

As Jews, we say “Never Again.” To me, that means we do not wait until death and destruction reach epic proportions. We act before it is too late. The Torah tells us, “Do not oppress a stranger, for you were strangers in the land of Egypt.” We are commanded not only to protect our own, but to see the humanity of others.

On October 7, Hamas murdered, raped and kidnapped innocent Israelis. Hamas must be destroyed. But the vast majority of Palestinians are not Hamas. To equate them is not only wrong, it is dangerous.

The only path forward is a path that protects every citizen in Israel and Palestine. Palestinian and Israeli families deserve to raise children without fear of rockets, knowing they can feed and clothe them, and knowing they are safe when they walk their streets. Anything less is not peace; it is survival. True peace demands dignity, justice and safety for all.

This is a contributed opinion column. Mark Pinsley is the Lehigh County controller. The views expressed in this piece are those of its individual author, and should not be interpreted as reflecting the views of this publication. Do you have a perspective to share? Learn more about how we handle guest opinion submissions at themorningcall.com/opinions.

https://www.mcall.com/2025/09/28/opinion-at-the-jewish-high-holy-days-i-cant-stay-silent-about-gaza/