What kind of world are we building for our children? | Opinion

Ella D. Tabasky is a nonprofit worker, union steward and community organizer. She lives in Midcoast Maine.

Thanks to Ed Sheeran and Macklemore, the struggle for Palestinian liberation was recently thrust back into the mainstream.

The stars’ public dispute revived the familiar question of whether performing artists should “stay out of politics,” as if speaking about the suffering of millions is somehow more political than staying silent.

For me, there is no staying silent. I am Jewish, I am an activist, and I am the daughter of a Holocaust educator. And the fact that this conversation unfolded during the Days of Awe — the 10 days between Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur devoted to introspection and repentance — felt especially significant.

Judaism, at its core, is not neutral in the face of suffering. We are a people whose story is one of liberation from oppression. We are taught that pikuach nefesh, saving a life, is the most important obligation of every human being.

During the Days of Awe, we are asked to look honestly at ourselves. Teshuvah calls us to acknowledge our mistakes and resolve to do better. Tefillah asks us to engage in deep reflection. Tzedakah calls us to give to those in need.

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So what does this require once the holiday is over? For me, it means continuing to look honestly at what is happening to Palestinians and to all oppressed people.

The genocide remains devastating. In June, the United Nations released a paper outlining the deliberate targeting and killing of Palestinian children across occupied Palestine. The Elimination Project, a recent report from B’Tselem, an Israeli human rights organization, documents more than 2,000 testimonies showing Israel dismantling the conditions necessary for Palestinian collective existence in the West Bank.

“Naza,” the new documentary from Yuval Abraham and Rachel Szor, examines Israel’s bombing campaign in Gaza and the systems used to select targets. Its central question is difficult to ignore: What happens when technology and bureaucracy make it easier to reduce human beings to targets?

All people, but especially children, deserve safety and joy.

That conviction is inseparable, for me, from being Jewish. I grew up understanding the Holocaust as a warning about dehumanization and what happens when people decide someone else’s pain is none of their business.

My Judaism does not tell me that someone’s humanity matters more than anyone else’s. Quite the opposite. Jewish safety and Palestinian freedom are not opposing values. Our safety and liberation are intertwined.

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And this is where Palestine connects, for me, to what is happening here in Maine. The histories and circumstances of these two places are profoundly different. But questions of power, safety and dignity follow us home.

In January, the federal government launched “Operation Catch of the Day.” The ACLU of Maine reports that roughly 200 people were detained. Maine subsequently enacted three “ICE Out” laws limiting cooperation between federal immigration enforcement and state and local institutions.

Then, in July, 26-year-old Johan Sebastián Durán Guerrero was murdered by an ICE agent with a well-documented history of violence. Left in the wake of this tragedy were Guerrero’s wife and 3-year-old child.

Again, the situations in Palestine and Maine are not the same. But I keep coming back to the same question: What kind of world are we building for future generations?

I am a member of Jewish Voice for Peace Maine, and we are organizing an event for children and families called From Maine to Palestine: Children Will Be Free on Oct. 18 in Portland. The fundraising event will include music, storytelling and community art-making, and 100% of the proceeds will support the Maine Solidarity Fund and Rawa, a Palestinian grassroots community fund.

The Days of Awe are over. But the work of asking what we owe one another continues. For me, that means continuing to build a world where all children and their families, regardless of their backgrounds, can be safe and experience joy. I invite you to commit to that work. Joining me on Oct. 18 is one way to start.

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