Anti-Israel rhetoric ignores Jewish suffering since the attack on Oct 7, 2023

I am appalled that the Sarasota Herald-Tribune even considered publishing the July 27 guest column by Melissa Morsli in which she desecrated the memory of the Jewish victims of the Holocaust, spouted historical untruths and distorted reality.

While there are many distortions to address, perhaps the most disgusting is Morsli’s comparison of what happened to the Jews at Auschwitz and Treblinka with what is tragically going on in Gaza.

During the Holocaust, Jews were murdered at the rate of 10,000 to 12,000 a day at the Auschwitz and Treblinka concentration camps.

They had no food shipped in before they were gassed and they had not started any wars, unlike what Hamas did on Oct. 7, 2023.

In addition, there are no death camps or concentration camps in Gaza.

There is no line that connects what is happening in Gaza to Auschwitz, except the one that exists in the dreams of those who hate Israel more than they love truth.

Israel is fighting a vicious enemy Morsli’s claim that “there is overwhelming evidence of genocide in Gaza” is simply not true.

Israel is fighting a vicious Hamas terrorist regime, that has used rape, kidnapping and other violent acts against Israelis. We should be reminded that Hamas started this war against Israel in the most heinous and vicious manner – and that there was a “ceasefire” in place on Oct. 6, 2023.

A checking of the Hamas charter, which mandates Hamas to seek out every Jew under every tree, is enough of a statement regarding the evil Hamas brought to their people. No mention of Israel’s suffering There was not one mention by Morsli of the Israeli hostages who have been taken since Oct. 7, or the brutalities that have occurred.

There was not one demand by Morsli that Hamas end this war by surrendering its authority in Gaza and releasing the remaining 20 hostages – as well as the remaining bodies of those who have been murdered since Oct. 7.

In addition, Jewish Voice for Peace – which Morsli is a member of – does not represent even an iota of the Jewish people today. In fact, it is more representative of a marginal fringe.

No accountability

There is no accountability in Morsli’s piece for Hamas:

● Starting the war in Gaza.

● Ruthlessly militarizing its youth and civilian population.

● Stealing humanitarian aid.

● Rejecting every ceasefire and hostage release deal.

A diabolical message

These kinds of articles should be kept out of the Herald-Tribune because they masquerade as opinion pieces yet carry a diabolical message of hatred.

We’ve seen the consequences of this hatred already with the massive rise of antisemitism all over the world and in the United States.

Suffering is clearly occurring in Gaza but unless we can clarify from where that suffering originates, there will be a continuation of the glorification of Jew hatred and attempts to vanquish Israel from the planet.

This fact is undeniable: If Israel were to surrender its weapons, leave Gaza and give up its Israel Defense Forces, there would be massive genocide and slaughter against Jews and other citizens in Israel (including Arabs, Druze, Circassians and Christians).

In contrast, there would be a lasting peace for all in the region if Hamas surrendered its weapons, allowed Gazans to live in freedom next to Israel, released the remaining hostages and began to build schools, hospitals and clean water sources.

Rabbi Stuart Altshuler resides in Sarasota. August 10, 2025