There is a significant difference between loud expressions of moral indignation (“As we grapple with Gaza, Jewish institutions are letting us down,” Feb. 7) and a moral appraisal of a confounding problem. Sitting 5,000 miles from the conflict in Gaza, it is easy to toss out words like “genocide” and “ethnic cleaning” and, claim to be the voice of “moral clarity.” Shrill language and harsh judgments, however, are a poor substitute for the honest appraisal of tragic challenges.

Hamas’ charter explicitly calls for the destruction of the Israel and the murder of its Jewish citizens. On Oct. 7, Hamas not only demonstrated its commitment to these goals but declared its intention to repeat the brutal murder of Israeli civilians, again and again.

Perhaps some believe that Israelis should stand down and die, but Israeli parents want to protect their children and their futures. I suspect that most parents in Maine would feel similarly, if faced with a terrorist group, only a few miles away, that is more invested in killing them  than building a future for their own people.

Tragically, the people of Gaza have never been allowed to find safety in the hundreds of miles of tunnels that snake through the Gaza Strip. These tunnels were made to advance a military program with one purpose: the destruction of the state and the people of Israel. Moral clarity requires that we take into account this harsh reality and the excruciating dilemma it presents.

Robert Leikind
Regional director, American Jewish Committee, New England
Boston