Ethicist: Should I Let Go of My Zionist Friends?
At the end of the day, a friendship built across disagreement does not require hiding or abandoning your beliefs. Sustaining conversations across ideological and moral divides may instead require strengthening your convictions.
I am a Jewish and anti-Zionist student. Most of the Zionist friends I grew up with either distanced themselves or stopped talking to me entirely after October 7th, when I became more vocal about my political views. I remain friends with a few Zionist students, but I am increasingly unsure how to navigate those relationships.
My friends are good people, I want to believe, but their Zionism taints my certainty of that — especially after two years of Israel's genocide in Gaza.
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Editor’s Note: This is part of the Amateur Ethicist series, inviting moral questions from the Harvard community. Submissions are welcome via the designated link.
Author’s summary: Navigating friendships across profound political divides tests both personal conviction and the hope for common understanding.
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