This morning I want to tackle a question that is granular, sensitive, painful, common—and coming soon to a Thanksgiving table near you.  What do we do when different generations in our family disagree, passionately, about Israel?  This is not a new question.  It is an old question. 

What is new is the urgency of the question in light of the massacre of October 7, and Israel’s ongoing response in the weeks since.  If this war continues to be protracted, if both Gaza civilians and Israeli soldiers continue to die,  the latent differences among the generations will only get exacerbated.

Several families have come to see me asking how they should respond to views of their children that are very different from their own.  My son told me that he attended a rally to pressure Israel into a ceasefire.  My daughter told me that she has been calling our Senators to force Israel into a ceasefire.  I can’t even believe it.  What do I say?  What do I do? 

What happens when these different views are expressed around the Thanksgiving table?