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The Disinformation Conundrum

In recent days, you may have been inundated with harrowing images of starvation in Gaza. Though some Jewish groups, like the American Jewish Committee, have expressed dismay, the response of others has been to deny or explain away concerns about the suffering. With a degree of truth, those organizations ask questions like: “Isn’t this mainly Hamas’ fault?” or “Why is it Israel’s job to feed its enemy?” or “Don’t people suffer in every war?” They also raise realistic concerns about the veracity of many graphics: The New York Times, just a few days ago, had to issue a correction to their publication on the topic, noting that the state of one seriously malnourished-looking child wasn’t actually due to food shortages alone, but also to a non-war-related illness.

[Author’s note: Since this sermon’s original delivery, one German newspaper has even come out with proof that some images of Gazans standing with pots were fully staged by photographers.]

Disinformation related to Israel has circulated widely for years, and it has been on steroids, so to speak, for the last 22 months. Take, for instance, the moment much of the world blamed Israel for “destroying” the Al-Ahli Hospital in Gaza – which, it turns out, not only hadn’t been destroyed at all, but whose parking lot had simply been struck by an errant missile, launched by Palestinian Islamic Jihad, no less, from within Gaza itself.

So, no question, disinformation has long been pervasive. Consequently, “the-boy-who-cried-wolf”-effect is partly at play. Since Western media has allowed itself to be misled over and over again by dishonest anti-Israel voices, some who support Israel are unlikely to believe anything critical about it that they see in the news.

And yet, the unwillingness of many to accept that Israel ever does anything wrong is also destructive. Even assuming that much of the news that comes out of Gaza is meant to distort, even believing that the world’s scrutiny of Israel constitutes an unfair double standard, even accepting that Israel’s ongoing war may remain necessary – it’s hard to imagine a real world in which Israel commits no errors. And, in all likelihood, some errors committed by Israel are grievous – and even Israel’s government has at times acknowledged that. 

The Tough Reality of Being a Zionist in 2025

Frankly, I’m struggling. Balancing all of this takes a heavy toll on a person’s conscience. Doing so forces us to confront unsettling questions like:

• What does it mean to support Israel’s right to self-determination while recognizing that wars — even just ones — kill innocent people?
• What does it mean to say that you are a Zionist while holding values of liberalism to which Israel, by most accounts, does not seem presently committed?
• What does it mean to struggle with Israel’s actions and feel powerless to shape its direction?

All this and more weighs heavily on my mind. I imagine it does for many of you, too.

We recently began the book of Deuteronomy, in Parashat D’varim. And in this final book of the Torah, we find an excellent model for how to wrestle with national imperfection. Moses, preparing the Israelites for a new future, offers not a triumphant, sanitized history, but one full of failure. Repeatedly, he reminds the people of their rebellions, their doubts, and their moral lapses.

Whether you believe the Torah to be the work of man or God, either way, it could have glossed over moments that don’t reflect well on us as a people. And the fact that the texts don’t do that, I think, gives us guidance on how to address our contemporary moments of struggle: Jews don’t pretend that things are fine when they aren’t; we don’t change the topic. Instead, we shine the spotlight on our own flaws and shortcomings, with the firm belief that acknowledging and teaching about our failures will help prevent us from repeating them in the future.

And yes: In a world where Israel is scapegoated so routinely, any concession can feel like betrayal. When we acknowledge even small failings, we know that bad actors often pounce, and our own nuanced concerns can become fodder for others’ simplistic hate. And, still, our Zionist identities must be strong enough to do the right thing even if we know others will not follow suit. Being willing to tell our whole story is a hallmark of Judaism.

This is part 1 of a 3-part series that expands on a sermon delivered at Temple Sholom on 8/1/2025