In his Oct. 21 letter in Viewpoints, Ben Lorber argues that Oak Park’s Jewish residents have little to fear from the upcoming referendum. As an expert on antisemitism, he dismisses concerns raised by those of us opposing BDS and suggests we’re the ones dividing our community. I find that deeply troubling.
I’m an Israeli American who has called Oak Park home for nearly 19 years. I strongly oppose Netanyahu’s government (and have for much longer than most non-Israelis), and I care deeply about Palestinian suffering. I also strongly oppose BDS. These positions aren’t contradictory.
My objection isn’t to criticism of Israel. I criticize Israel myself. It’s to a movement that rejects Jewish self-determination and its legitimacy as a Jewish state. That’s a fundamental distinction Lorber chooses not to address.
But what troubles me most is his definition of solidarity.
The Yes campaign repeatedly points to Jewish organizations and individuals who support its position. Yet when local synagogues, Jewish organizations, and Jewish residents come together to express their concerns, those voices are dismissed as misguided, exaggerated or divisive.
Why are Jewish voices worth listening to only when they agree with you?
Lorber is entitled to his views. But from his home in Chicago, he doesn’t get to tell Jewish families here in Oak Park what we should or shouldn’t fear.
We’ve seen how quickly discussions about Israel turn hostile. We’ve heard someone shout, “Now we know who owns Oak Park” at a public meeting. We’ve felt the growing pressure to distance ourselves from Israel simply to remain welcome in progressive spaces. These concerns are real, whether Lorber agrees with them or not.
I don’t expect my neighbors to share my views on Israel. And I certainly don’t ask anyone to abandon their concern for Palestinians.
But I do ask that they extend the same respect and understanding to Jewish neighbors whose perspectives don’t fit their political narrative.
We came to Oak Park because we believed in its values of inclusion, tolerance, and community. Those values mean little if they only extend to people we agree with.
Solidarity shouldn’t require agreement. It should begin with listening.
Inbal Shohat-Pawlowski
Oak Park
