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continued from page 8

ACLU — that advocate on behalf of
all prisoners’ rights. It’s what enables
NIF to explicitly oppose the Boycott,
Divestment and Sanctions movement
(BDS) while supporting nonprofits
that advocate for both an end to the
occupation and egalitarian rights for
non-Jewish Israelis. And it’s what
makes it possible for NIF to champi-
on organizations like B’Tselem, which
shine light on human rights abuses
in the West Bank while proudly sup-
porting Zionism, the IDF and our
collective Jewish homeland. Because
NIF realizes that simplified attack ads,
dogmatic beliefs and blanket gener-
alizations are not the way to exercise
our Jewish values.
So my hope is that we all continue
investing in this kind of nuance. In
the conversation and improvement
that will make Israel a more admira-
ble country, and the Jewish commu-
nity a more admirable family. The
New Israel Fund provides this space
for me and so many of my peers; it’s
no accident that it’s one of the few
organizations where Jewish millen-
nials can thoughtfully engage with

letters

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their heritage. NIF provides a home
for us to meaningfully connect with
Israel without checking our values at
the door.
But we can’t operate in this space
alone. It’s inherently communal
work, requiring habitual support
and understanding from friends,
parents and grandparents. With
politics both at home and in Israel
embracing extremism and misinfor-
mation, we’re increasingly nearing a
point of no return, which makes it
more important than ever to foster
the sort of thoughtful nuance that
NIF represents. It’s not only what the
moment requires, but exactly the kind
of dynamic community that Jewish
millennials are searching for. ■

Michael Brodsky is a regional board member
of the New Israel Fund. He currently works as
vice president at Countable, a civic technology
company that makes government more trans-
parent and accessible. He previously worked
with a foreign policy think tank in Tel Aviv and
holds a master’s degree from the London
School of Economics, where he wrote his dis-
sertation on pre-state Israel.

continued from page 5

Airbnb Blacklists
Jewish Homes in
Judea and Samaria

My parents, in-laws, husband and
I, extended family and friends
have all made an almost exclusive
switch from hotel stays to Airbnb
adventures because of the endless
advantages — inexpensive prices,
excellent customer care, pleasant
hosts and an easy user-interface.
As longtime supporters, we were
all disheartened to wake up to
news that Airbnb will no longer be
offering rental lists in Judea and
Samaria, Israel.
As residents of Israel with friends
and family living in those towns,
this will severely impact our future
travel plans. And the root of this
decision? These towns “are at the
core of the dispute between Israelis
and Palestinians,” according to a
company statement.
If you are going to start allowing
such politics to infect the services
that you provide, please be intel-
lectually honest and consider the

fact that listings are readily avail-
able in Turkish-occupied Cyprus,
Moroccan-occupied Sahara, Tibet
and the Crimea, as stated by Dr.
Michael Oren.
The lack of consistency displayed
here proves that the root of this
issue is, in fact, society-driven pres-
sure to move toward anti-Semitic
policies. As proud Jews and Israelis,
my family and I take offense to
such obvious anti-Semitism and
will be boycotting Airbnb’s services
until the decision is reversed and
an apology is issued.

— Madison Botwinick
Israel (formerly of West Bloomfield)

Correction s

• In “Coming Home” (Nov. 22,
page 12), Steve Ballmer was Bill
Gates successor, not predecessor.
• In “Is Dip Taking You for an
Unhealthy Trip?” (Nov. 22, page 56),
the nutritional information for the
restaurant dips included the chips.

