I’ve hesitated to write about this tragedy, because I know this article is going to offend some people. But I’ve decided that staying silent about injustice makes me part of the problem.

The seeds of terrorism are sown when young people have lost all hope for the future. I believe the brutality we saw on October 7th was a direct product of generations of systemic disenfranchisement, occupation, and denial of basic human rights.

As you might have guessed from my surname, I’m Jewish. The history of the Jewish people is replete with persecution, discrimination, and genocide. I believe that history confers upon us a special responsibility to stand up for marginalized people.

That’s why I stand with the innocent Pastinians who are suffering a slow motion genocide in the Gaza Strip. It’s time to stop bombing, starving, and terrorizing millions of innocent people in Gaza, half of whom are children. It’s time for a cease fire. And it’s time for a fresh look at how to dismantle this apartheid system.