'Not in our name'
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Jewish New Yorkers speak out against 'dehumanisation' of Palestinians

New York is home to a two million-strong Jewish community that has suffered anguish in the wake of the October 7 Hamas attacks. Many back the Israeli government's response and have rallied in support of Israel. Others are unsettled by the current military campaign and the huge price paid by Palestinian civilians.
New York is home to a two million-strong Jewish community that has suffered anguish in the wake of the October 7 Hamas attacks. Many back the Israeli government's response and have rallied in support of Israel. Others are unsettled by the current military campaign and the huge price paid by Palestinian civilians.

New York's two million-strong Jewish community has suffered anguish in the wake of the October 7 Hamas attacks. While many back the Israeli government's response and have rallied in support of Israel, others are unsettled by the Gaza military campaign and the huge price paid by Palestinian civilians

Around her neck, Jessica Murphy wears a delicate gold chain with a Hamsa hand pendant, a universal symbol of protection and strength. For Muslims, it's the Hand of Fatima, while Jews call it the Hand of Miriam, a talisman to ward off the evil eye and negative energy. 

“I've been feeling a lot of sadness … I’ve been feeling pretty distraught,” she says.

Murphy knows all about trauma. A Jewish New Yorker, she became a victim of terrorism at age 5 when her father was killed in the September 11 attacks on the World Trade Center.

“I think that allows me to empathise with the Israeli civilians who lost loved ones in the attacks last Saturday, while also empathising with Palestinians who lost family due to the retaliatory airstrikes,” she says.

© France24 2023

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