Since October 7, 2023, I’ve increasingly felt disconnected from my progressive community. I’ve witnessed organizations losing funding, workers being fired, and voices silenced for raising appropriate concerns about the U.S.’s unwavering support for Israel’s military campaign against the Palestinian people.
I’m aware there’s an election around the corner, and like many Swifties, I’ll be voting for Harris — mainly because I don’t want my daughter to grow up in a reality reminiscent of the Handmaid’s Tale. With Project 2025 looming and Trump’s promise not to “hold back” Netanyahu, the thought of him at the helm as we spiral into regional conflict is unbearable.
Yet it’s impossible to feel inspired by a leader representing the same administration that has repeatedly enabled genocide for more than a year. It’s impossible to reconcile the future we desire with the grim reality of the violence we are witnessing today. When 70 percent of those killed are women and children, when a population is starved, and when hospitals, aid agencies, schools, and refugee camps are repeatedly bombed, what more must we see?
No one I know defends Hamas’ attacks on October 7, but most of us know that was the result of 75 years of documented occupation, oppression, and apartheid. Since that day, Israel’s wildly disproportionate retaliatory actions have resulted in the deaths of at least 40 times more people than those killed on October 7 — this is a conservative estimate. A study published last July in The Lancet noted that data collection in Gaza has become increasingly difficult due to destroyed infrastructure. Estimates suggest that up to 186,000 deaths could be attributed to the current conflict, with projections continuing to rise.
The war has spilled into the West Bank, Lebanon, Yemen, and Iran, showing no signs of abating. Despite Israel’s killing of Hamas leader Yahya Sinwar, Israel’s violence has only intensified.
At home, the silence from progressive organizations is deafening. It seems some are sacrificing moral credibility to toe the Democratic Party line, supporting Israel’s actions at any cost. But loyalty to a platform at the expense of tens of thousands of civilian lives isn’t sustainable. Students, activists, and ordinary people locally and worldwide are risking everything to align with international humanitarian law. Many Americans, especially young people and communities of color, are exhausted by endless wars and feel abandoned by their leaders. I’ve reached out to my elected officials repeatedly, only to receive statements of support for Israel.
We live in the wealthiest country yet claim we can’t afford basic needs like healthcare, housing, or education. Meanwhile, billions flow into military campaigns that kill innocent people. This is not just immoral; it’s political suicide.
Two decades ago, I studied Arabic at UCSB and later conducted public health research in Egypt. This year, I began relearning Arabic online with “Ali,” a tutor in the West Bank I met through a humanitarian organization. His stories have illuminated the daily realities of life under Israeli occupation.
These realities echo the abuses long documented by Amnesty International and Human Rights Watch: lack of economic opportunity, dehumanizing language that describes the bombing of Gaza as “mowing the lawn,” constant checkpoints, and a severe lack of basic services. Recently, Israeli forces detained Ali’s 20-year-old cousin without charges, joining thousands of other Palestinian prisoners. His children’s only joy comes from their family pets. But this summer, Israeli settlers broke in and stole their dog, crushing their kids’ spirits. When they got a new dog, settlers came back and stole that dog too. There’s no one to call as the Palestinian Authority functions more as a security force for Israel, offering no recourse. Ali’s family survives on his tutoring income, teaching at odd hours while drones keep him awake. His stress-induced ulcers go untreated — there’s nowhere safe for medical care. Another cousin died this past week because he couldn’t get past a checkpoint to reach a hospital. This is life under occupation.
Despite all this, Ali shows up to our lessons, overprepared and encouraging. While I fumble through my tentative sentences, he faces daily horrors — raids, checkpoints, and relentless violence. I’m relearning a language; he’s fighting for his family’s survival. The contrast is overwhelming, yet we both hold hope for peace. Understanding what Palestinians have endured for decades helps clarify that the events of October 7 were not anti-Semitic; they were anti-Israel, and those are not the same.
Santa Barbara has a rich history of antiwar activism — thanks to groups like Jewish Voices for Peace, the Central Coast Antiwar Coalition, and CODEPINK. Yet today, too many local organizations seem more concerned about donor appeasement than speaking truth to power. Boards may claim diversity, but diverse perspectives are often silenced. Our tax dollars fund weapons that devastate lives abroad, while countless Americans struggle to meet basic needs. Social service organizations desperately need us to redirect our spending. We should align with the global community, rather than be the lone dissenting vote at the UN.
I know how demoralizing it feels to reach out to elected officials, as if I’m respectfully shouting into an abyss. I’ve often said the most loving action we can take is to demand better from our leaders, but what if they only respond with billions more for weapons?
Lily Greenberg Call, a Jewish staffer who resigned from the Biden administration, noted that Biden is “making Jews the face of the American war machine, and that is so deeply wrong.” With less than two weeks until the election, this administration must change course. An immediate ceasefire, arms embargo, and humanitarian aid are essential. The world recognizes the Palestinian struggle — why can’t our leaders?
Ruwa Romman, a Palestinian-American legislator, said “we can be a Democratic Party that funds schools and hospitals, not endless wars. We must fight for an America that belongs to all of us—Black, brown, and white, Jews and Palestinians, together.” Her speech was silenced at the Democratic Convention, yet her words inspire hope. Many of us are still waiting for a courageous movement that empowers those most affected by harmful policies and builds coalitions grounded in peace, inclusion, and justice.
We must abide by international law and collaborate with the UN to pursue a solution that allows Palestinians and Israelis to share land and resources equitably, somehow. Any path to coexistence requires a shift from military to humanitarian aid. Our resources should be spent on healing, not continuous harm. We need to stop funding a genocide that endangers us all.