Since Oct. 7, 2023, already high levels of falsehoods and bias in the media and public discourse have skyrocketed further. If you find yourself not knowing how to address some of the criticism of Israel in the media or even your personal circles, key talking points from a message we sent this week to a local media outlet may be helpful. The message was in response to a story entitled: 

Israeli Forces Kill 10 Relatives Of Franklin School Board Member 

While a responsive/defensive public letter to the editor would serve only to give the story more visibility and wider reach, our private message contained some talking points such as those that follow.

In the coming weeks, watch for proactive public letters to editors and op eds for our local media from Jewish Federation in the Heart of New Jersey. If you would like support in writing your own, contact us. 

For more about debunking false narratives, see the ADL's recent post here. 

Dear [Editor's name],

We read the Patch story with news about Mr. Shaban's family. We are saddened by the loss of every innocent life. Israel is fighting this war for precisely that reason, to root out Hamas and make sure it is never again able to commit the atrocities of October 7th -- something Hamas's leaders said just this week they would do over and over and over again until Israel is wiped out. 

Hamas should never again be able to put its own people in harm’s way, as it does intentionally by building its infrastructure in civilian-dense areas, turning innocent people into human shields.

Your article about Mr. Shaban’s family leaves out the fact that Hamas initiated the war with its massacre of 1,400 Israelis and that Hamas is preventing civilians from evacuating the areas in which Israel is working to destroy Hamas's terrorist infrastructure; Israel never targets civilians, though some tragically die despite Israel’s efforts; and that many in the Jewish community have also tragically lost friends and relatives.

If you would like to speak about this, we would welcome the opportunity.