OPINION:
The Jewish world is fractured, bruised and tired. We clung to our familiar narratives — our “Never again,” our victimhood, our resilience — which may have inspired us but didn’t connect us to others. To much of the world, it appeared that Israel caused suffering, and our insistence on being right made us seem deaf to others’ pain.
On Monday, as the remaining hostages were released in Israel, we were reminded what it means to be human, to feel grief and relief in the same breath. The hostages’ freedom should not divide us; it should remind us that every life, on every side, is sacred. Compassion cannot be conditional. Empathy cannot be partisan.
Before we can rebuild Brand Israel, we must reclaim Brand Judaism. The world sees Israel through the lens of politics and power, but Judaism reflects our values: justice, gratitude, humor, civility and debate. Judaism is a way of life built on dialogue and moral courage. The world doesn’t reject us; it often just doesn’t know us. When non-Jews join a Shabbat dinner or light a Hanukkah candle, they don’t see geopolitics. They feel humanity.
That is why I created Don’t Hate Debate TV, an artificial-intelligence-powered platform that models empathy and bluntness in equal measure. In two months, it has drawn more than 10,000 subscribers and 2 million views, proving that people crave connection over outrage.
We may have lost the war of feelings but not our capacity to feel or heal. From “Never again” to “Begin again,” may we truly hate hate and love love.
ROBIN LEMBERG
Founder, The Heart Monitors
Creator, Don’t Hate Debate TV
Paris, France
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