Avi Zalkin and Dylan Glaser are 11th graders at the Masters School. This piece does not necessarily represent the opinions of the Tower staff or The Masters School. Tower is a community forum in which members of our community can share their opinions as long as they are in the spirit of civil discourse. We welcome responses through the comments section below, or through letters to the editor addressed to Towereditors@mastersny.org. Note that comments are being moderated, emails verified and uncivil responses will not be posted.

On October 7, 1944, nearly three months before the liberation of Auschwitz-Birkenau, a few intrepid young women dared to rebel against the Nazi death camp. They smuggled gunpowder into Auschwitz, wrapped it within their garments, and attempted to destroy the gas chambers used to kill over a million innocents. The Nazis responded swiftly: they killed 250 prisoners in the rebellion and shot 200 more in the aftermath. This is now just another day forgotten to history.

Seventy-nine years later, the fundamentalist terrorist organization Hamas breached the Israeli border, brutally butchering more Jews in a single day than since the Nazi’s systematic extermination. Their goal was clear: dehumanize, terrorize, and destroy the Jewish people. 

Yet, shockingly, while Western governments responded with unequivocal support for the people of Israel, the reaction in Western social media, street protests, and campus demonstrations too often reveled in the news of the massacres and ignorantly applauded Hamas as the defender of Palestinians. 

Do not look away. 

Genocides occur because people are willing to ignore, excuse, and justify extremism. It is vital to understand what you are saying, why you are saying it, and what implications it may have. Before Israel should be judged, it must be understood; before Hamas be judged, it must likewise be understood. 

 Zionism is the idea that the Jewish people have the right to their own state as a haven from genocide. Israel was created by the United Nations on the historical homeland of the Jewish people, a land with Jewish communities continually present since the time of Abraham in 1,800 BCE. Israel’s right to exist should not be confused with the sometimes extreme actions of Israel’s current ‘nationalist maximalist’ administration. 

Criticism of the Israeli government differs profoundly from anti-Zionism: one affirms the right of free people to inveigh against unjust action; the other calls for the destruction of the Jewish homeland— with genocidal implications. 

In a democracy, the right to critique governmental fault is an essential act of patriotism. Anyone who supports the existence of the State of Israel (and this should be unanimous) should condemn Israel when it commits unjustifiable grievances — but should also appreciate the difficulty it faces in responding to terrorist threats whose primary goal is Israeli slaughter and Israel’s destruction.  

Hamas does not represent ‘Palestinian resistance,’ nor have they ever valued the well-being of their people. Since day one, their only goal has been the death of Jews and the destruction of Israel. It is of note that the Gaza given to Palestinians is not the Gaza you see today; it was a vibrant coastal community on the Mediterranean, funded by Western nations and non-profits with billions of dollars to support the Palestinian people. 

Instead of investing in education, infrastructure, or hospitals, Hamas-run Gaza has drained its resources on terrorism and put its citizens in a chokehold of repression.

Since the current onslaught began, Hamas has massacred over 1,400 Israeli civilians: raped women and girls, mutilated and burned infants, and gruesomely murdered parents before the disbelieving eyes of their young children. 

They have kidnapped two hundred civilians, two hundred people prodded like cattle into dark Gazan tunnels. In constant fear for their lives, these mothers, wives, fathers, brothers, and daughters are yet to be returned.

Take a moment to look away from this paper and truly process what that means. 

Hamas’ horrific actions were predicated on the knowledge that Israel would respond unshakably to protect its people. Rather than caring for its children, Hamas intentionally uses them as human shields. It knows Israel will defend itself: it will bombard the Hamas hide-outs purposely placed in civilian structures like residences, schools, and even hospitals, and this will result in the international condemnation of Israel. 

The difference is profound: Israel does not seek out the death of innocent civilians; it retaliates to prevent further loss of life and to protect its children. What choice does it have? Hamas plans its operations to slaughter as many Israeli children as possible and sacrifices its own children in an international chess game to draw support for their hatred. As former Israeli prime minister Golda Meir eloquently illustrated, “If the Arabs put down their weapons today, there would be no more violence. If [Israel] put down [its] weapons today, there would be no more Israel.” 

 Devastatingly, their propaganda is working! Students around the United States and the Western world are siding with terrorism and repeating Hamas’ talking points. While many Westerners support  Boycott, Divestment, Sanctions (an organization founded to boycott Israel, that claims Israel is an “an apartheid state,” a claim we categorically reject as a lie) as a punishment to Israel, the same people often turn a blind eye to China’s egregious human rights violations against the Uyghur Muslims or Ethiopia’s acts of ethnic cleansing. 

One prominent reason behind this palpable dichotomy is antisemitism woven deep within the fabric of society. This materializes in hate beyond reproach. At UCLA, hundreds of students marched, screaming “intifada, intifada,” which can only be interpreted as a call for mass violence against Jews. During a ‘pro-Palestine’ protest in front of the Sydney Opera House last Tuesday night, over one thousand protestors demanded “gas the Jews.” 

We stand in absolute solidarity with the innocent Palestinian civilians killed under Israel’s justifiable response. However, we believe that our primary focus should not be a condemnation of the Israeli response but must remain the unequivocal condemnation of Hamas terrorism that precipitated it and the proliferation of dangerous anti-Zionist rhetoric providing the necessary oxygen and capital to support such terrorism. 

As affirmed by its covenant, Hamas operates under an identical resolve to that of the Nazis— any attempted excuse fans its flames. 

With so much to stand against, it is invaluable to enumerate those sacrosanct ideals behind which we must rally tirelessly. We stand for the right of a Jewish homeland and of all peoples to be free and prosperous and enjoy the fruits of life. 

Be careful how you act: history is watching. 

Avi Zalkin and Dylan Glaser are 11th graders at the Masters School. This piece does not necessarily represent the opinions of the Tower staff or The Masters School. Tower is a community forum in which members of our community can share their opinions as long as they are in the spirit of civil discourse. We welcome responses through the comments section below, or through letters to the editor addressed to Towereditors@mastersny.org. Note that comments are being moderated, emails verified and uncivil responses will not be posted.