Ḥanukkah’s probably not going to be much fun this year, but it’s mostly just me and a bunch of cousins so I don’t really care if they yell at me. We never really talk politics so maybe they’ll actually turn out to be cool, who knows.
Having Zionist relatives is a challenge. They have this positive, heroic image of Israel from the movie “Exodus,” or maybe a Synagogue trip decades ago, and the way the narrative forms to them is “Isn’t it awful that Hamas made Israel do this…The Israelis just want peace” when the terms of that “peace” require ethnic cleansing.
Have talked with several comrades their experience ‘pulling straws to see who gonna call gramma’ with siblings and cousins. I had about five minutes with mines and it went better than expected. Have been unable to call my grandfather. It’s sad because they were a big part of my life growing up and need company and family now more than ever but their zionism is odious.
