The comparison in a recent New Yorker article was viewed as controversial in Germany, where government authorities strongly support Israel as a form of remorse and responsibility after Adolf Hitler’s Germany murdered up to 6 million Jews in the Holocaust.
Gessen, who was born Jewish in the Soviet Union, is critical of Israel’s treatment of Palestinians.
In Gessen’s article, titled “In the Shadow of the Holocaust,” the author explores German Holocaust memory, arguing that Germany today stifles free and open debate on Israel.
Gessen also is critical of Israel’s relationship with Palestinians, writing that Gaza is “like a Jewish ghetto in an Eastern European country occupied by Nazi Germany.”
“The ghetto is being liquidated,” the article added.
Genuine Q: isn’t saying this should have come from a Jewish person a form of tribalism itself?
I’m of the opinion that critical thinking (like this piece) can be achieved by any person from any background, and we all should be engaging with the ideas that come up (and their merit, or lack thereof) rather than anything else if we’re interested in moving forward in a way that is equitable for all
IMO It seems a dangerous thing to be gatekeeping ideas from certain groups of people