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New York is home to the largest Jewish population outside of Israel, a two million-strong community that has suffered anguish in the wake of the October 7 Hamas attacks on Israel. Many Jewish New Yorkers back the Israeli government’s response to the attacks and have rallied in support of Israel. But others are unsettled by the military campaign in the Gaza Strip and the huge price paid by Palestinian civilians.
Around her neck, Jessica Murphy wears a delicate gold chain with a Hamsa hand pendant, a universal symbol of protection and strength. For Muslims it’s the Hand of Fatima, while Jews call it the Hand of Miriam, a talisman to ward off the evil eye and negative energy.
“I’ve been feeling a lot of sadness … I’ve been feeling pretty distraught,” she says.
Murphy knows all about trauma. A Jewish New Yorker, she became a victim of terrorism at age 5 when her father was killed in the September 11 attacks on the World Trade Center.
“I think that allows me to empathise with the Israeli civilians who lost loved ones in the attacks last Saturday, while also empathising with Palestinians who lost family due to the retaliatory airstrikes,” she says.
The 27-year-old medical student is watching the current turmoil in the Middle East closely. While she is horrified by the violence wrought on Israelis at the hands of Hamas, she is also outraged by Israel’s heavy-handed response.
“I can’t say I’m surprised at how Israel’s retaliating, given the history of this long conflict and military occupation,” she says. “But I am really devastated, and I’m fearful of what’s to come.”
Murphy is concerned that a false dichotomy is being created,…
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