It's Okay To Hold Two Truths At Once

We need to talk about something that's been weighing on a lot of us lately.

You know that feeling when someone assumes that because you're Jewish, you must support every single thing Israel's government does?  

Or when you feel like you have to choose between caring about Palestinian lives and caring about Jewish lives?

Here's the thing: You don't.

This is called dialectical thinking - the ability to hold two seemingly contradictory truths at the same time. And honestly? It's not just okay, it's necessary.

I recently went to Vermont and had this local treat called a "creamie" - it was a soft-serve twist with maple syrup ice cream on one side and blackberry on the other. (It was delicious, despite me normally being a spice-lover over a sugar-lover.) One of my DBT mentors used to say, "You can have two flavors of ice cream at once. That's dialectics." 

And that's exactly what we're talking about here. 

You can:

• Be Jewish AND critical of Netanyahu's government

• Love Israel AND grieve for innocent Palestinians

• Want Jewish safety AND Palestinian freedom from Hamas

• Be Jewish AND have zero opinion about Israel

• Feel connected to your heritage AND disagree with certain policies

Many Israelis themselves have been protesting their government for months. Loving your people doesn't mean you have to love their leaders.

The world wants us to pick sides, but real life is messier than that.

Your anxiety about this isn't because you're confused - it's because you're human. You're holding complexity in a world that demands simplicity. You're feeling the weight of caring about multiple groups of people while others insist you can only care about one.

That's not weakness. That's wisdom.

If you're struggling with this internal conflict, know that you're not alone. Many of us are navigating these same tough conversations, both with others and within ourselves.

You don't have to choose.  

Both can coexist. Both should coexist.

With understanding,

Hannah Kanter, LICSWFounder, Help for Anxious Jews