How Jews Can Find Moral Certainty in a Demoralizing World

Since October 7th, I have ping-ponged ideologically in my views of Israel, swinging between anger, grief, hope, and doubt. I often ask myself: are we the “good guys” because questioning ourselves is what separates us from the “bad guys.”

With all the demoralization caused by anti-Israel and antisemitic propaganda, I found myself having to constantly remind myself why I believed Israel’s cause was just.

The Moral Blackmail of Holocaust Comparisons

One tactic the pro-Palestinian side uses is to inflict moral blackmail on Jews and other supporters of Israel. The most common method is to equate Israel’s actions with those of the Nazis, knowing that the wounds of the Shoah are still fresh and that reopening them can sow doubt among conflicted Jews.

To a layperson, it works. But to someone familiar with the history of the Shoah through survivor testimony, literature, and academic study, the differences could not be more significant.

Evolutionary psychologist Gad Saad often describes “pathogenic ideas” as ideas that spread through populations much like viruses spread between hosts. I believe Holocaust distortion functions in this way, particularly among Jews wrestling with their relationship to Jewish identity and Israel.

Research suggests that Jewish identity and attachment to Israel are closely linked. According to a Pew Research Center survey, “The share of adults who are at least somewhat attached to Israel is twice as high among Jews by religion (67%) as among Jews of no religion (33%).” While this does not explain every individual’s views, it suggests that stronger religious and communal engagement is associated with a deeper connection to Israel.

Knowledge of Jewish history, Holocaust education, and active participation in Jewish communal life may therefore make people more resilient against misleading Holocaust comparisons and other forms of historical distortion, including those promoted by the legendary author of Maus: A Survivor’s Tale, Art Spiegelman.

Recently, Spiegelman collaborated with far-left pro-Palestine author Joe Sacco on a cartoon that drew a parallel between Israel and the Nazis. For someone with Spiegelman’s platform, whose work has become a cornerstone of Holocaust education, lending his voice to these comparisons is profoundly irresponsible.

Within the cartoon, Spiegelman describes himself as a “ROOTLESS COSMOPOLITAN DIASPORIST,” a description that lines up with Maus. Compared with Night........

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