Ep. 4: Tragedy in DC

A brief comment on the tragic shooting in DC and the political turmoil in it's aftermath. 

Episode Transcript

Raheel Khan (00:00):
Hi everyone.
Today I want to take a moment totalk about the recent tragedy in
Washington, dc.
The shooting of the young Jewishcouple who were two staff
members of the Israeli embassy.
This was a horrific act ofviolence.
It is utterly unacceptable andmust be unequivocally condemned.
There is no justification, nonefor targeting innocent people.

(00:25):
My heart goes out to thevictims', families and loved
ones, as well as the broaderJewish community as they process
this senseless tragedy.
But even in mourning, somethingtroubling has already emerged.
That this tragedy is quicklybecoming highly politicized.
We've seen the Israeliambassador frame it as part of a

(00:45):
broader campaign to delegitimizeIsrael.
The Trump administration,blaming it on the
pro-Palestinian movement atlarge.
Or Prime Minister Netanyahugoing so far as to equate the
chant"Free Palestine" with"HeilHitler".
This kind of framing does notbring justice.

(01:06):
It deepens division.
Let me be absolutely clear.
Antisemitism is real, persistentand dangerous.
Jewish people have enduredcenturies of persecution, and
it's essential to remainvigilant in confronting this
hatred wherever it appears.
Yet at the same time, fightingantisemitism must not become a

(01:30):
blank check to silencelegitimate criticism.
Criticizing the policies of agovernment or the actions of an
organization, whether on Gaza,the West Bank, or broader human
rights issues is not the same astargeting people based on their
identity.
In a healthy democracy, debateis not just allowed, it's

(01:52):
necessary.
We cannot allow a false binarywhere you either support a
government or groupunconditionally, or you're
labeled anti-Semitic.
That's not how justice works.
That's not how freedom works.
Here's what we know about thistragedy.
Reports indicate the shootershouted pro-Palestinian slogans,

(02:12):
but that doesn't make this theact of a movement.
The overwhelming majority ofpro-Palestinian protests across
the US have been peaceful.
When violence has broken out.
It has often been directed atprotestors by counter
demonstrators or heavy handedpolicing, not instigated by
them.

(02:33):
Assigning guilt to allPalestinians or their supporters
for one individual's actions, isnot only wrong, it mirrors the
very logic that led to thisattack.
Targeting people simply becauseof who they are or what they
believe.
We've seen this pattern before.
During the Black Lives Matterprotests or the recent Tesla

(02:54):
Takedown campaign, whereisolated incidents of violence
were used to smear entiremovements.
These overgeneralizations aren'tjust intellectually lazy,
they're socially destructive.
They fuel cycles of mistrust andretribution, that hurts
everyone.
Unfortunately, these dangerousovergeneralizations are becoming

(03:16):
more common.
Israeli officials have accusedEuropean and other governments
of antisemitism, simply forcriticizing Israel's actions or
considering sanctions.
In the US we've seen peacefulpro-Palestinian protestors
arrested and labeled as violentor anti-Semitic.

(03:37):
These blanket accusations usethe same flawed logic as blaming
all Jews for Israeli governmentactions.
An approach that is both unjustand dangerous.
We can and must do better.
We are all capable of holdingtwo truths at once.
That we condemn violence againstinnocent people, always.

(03:59):
That we defend the right topeaceful protest and principle
dissent, always.
We can support Jewishcommunities without abandoning
our support for Palestinianlives and freedom.
We can fight antisemitismwithout silencing legitimate
discourse.
We can grieve this tragedywithout turning it into a
weapon.

(04:20):
Let's honor the victims, not bydeepening the lines of division,
but by refusing to let theirdeaths become fuel for more
hate.
Justice means holdingindividuals accountable, not
entire communities.
Only by rejecting all forms ofbigotry and collective blame,
can we move toward a futurerooted in justice, empathy, and

(04:42):
respect for all people.
The memory of these victims andour commitment to preventing
future tragedies, demandsnothing less.
Thank you for listening.