One of the most prominent critics of Israeli policies in recent years has been the American economist and public intellectual Jeffrey Sachs. Sachs openly describes the events unfolding in Gaza, the Palestinian territories and Lebanon as genocide, condemning Israel’s military operations, forced displacement policies and practices of dispossession. In his view, the problem is not only the scale of the humanitarian catastrophe but also the fact that these actions are increasingly carried out in plain sight. He also emphasizes that many Americans are deeply troubled by the devastation taking place in the region.
At the same time, Sachs stresses a crucial point. As an American of Jewish background, he rejects the tendency to equate the policies of the State of Israel with Judaism itself. According to him, the crimes committed in Gaza and Lebanon are not products of Judaism but of a particular political ideology and state policy. For this reason, identifying the actions of the Israeli government with Judaism as a whole – or with Jews collectively – is both historically inaccurate and morally wrong.
This is precisely where we should pause and reflect. Criticizing Israel’s policies is both the right and the responsibility of every conscientious person. However, it is a mistake to conflate Judaism with the Zionism pursued by the Israeli state. The proper way to criticize an ideology is not to identify it with an entire religion but to evaluate it according to its political and moral consequences. In this respect, Sachs’ insistence on drawing a clear distinction between Israel’s policies and Judaism is both important and justified.
