“I was raised with a love of Israel and was taught a love for Israel with a connection to Judaism, but when I hear the mistakes that the government has made my pride for Israel diminishes,” said Gabi Moshkatal, a junior at Beth Tfiloh Dahan Community School.
High School students all over Baltimore have differing opinions on the current events in Israel, as well as ways that they receive their information. Jewish students from Beth Tfiloh Dahan Community School, George Washington Carver Center for Arts and Technology, Roland Park Country School and Pikesville High School spoke to the JT about their thoughts on the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.
Moshkatal, like many other Beth Tfiloh students and faculty members, has family in Israel, which causes her to worry about their safety.
At Beth Tfiloh, she said, students often discuss the conflict.
“The majority of people discuss their love of Israel,” she said. “However, there are people who believe that you can still support Israel even if you criticize the government.”
“A lot of people see things from one side only,” she added.
Senior Daniella Cooper, a former StandWithUs intern, said that at her school — Carver Center for Arts and Tech — she’s seen a lot of people post about the conflict on social media. Her classmates tend to post infographics that simplify the situation, she said.
At Roland Park Country School, there is little talk about the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, both in person and on social media, said junior Hannah Paliath. Paliath says she tries to educate her fellow classmates on the topic.
“Almost everyone at the school is on the same page as they condemn Israel’s actions of violence,” she said.
At Pikesville High School, junior Liam Asher rarely hears students discuss the conflict in the Middle East, but they do sometimes post on social media. Most of the posts he’s seen are reposts from pro-Israel accounts like the Israeli Defense Forces or StandWithUs.
“I personally feel deeply connected to this conflict since I have family and friends that were put in danger by the recent events in Israel,” Asher said.
