Perspective on how to help your leaders address terrorism in Israel

My heart is heavy.

The silence in many organizations about the terrorism in?Israel?is deafening.

For me, I believe we need to set aside the geopolitical issues between the Israelis and the Palestinians for the moment.

That’s a hugely complex and divisive issue, and one that needs to be addressed, but not right now.

What happened in Israel is about terrorism aimed at innocent people, including babies, children, mothers, and the elderly.

It’s about hate.

It’s about?antisemitism.

This is Israel’s 9/11 and the most traumatic event in its statehood.

In my mind, this is similar to the violent touch point of the murder of George Floyd.

It was the catalyst for and made clear the systemic racial injustice in America.

My hope is that our shared humanity should lead us all to condemn the barbarism of Hamas.

They are not a Palestinian organization; they are a terrorist organization whose stated aim is to wipe out a people.

And their actions are having disastrous consequences for Jews and Palestinians alike.

In many cases, employees are looking to leaders to respond in some way and want to be heard.

It can be difficult to find the exact words, but saying nothing communicates as well.

Setting the tone from the top is critical, with leaders and managers demonstrating that they care about the emotional well-being of all of those impacted – both in Israel and in the Palestinian territory.

And make no mistake – these events have impacted Jews and Palestinians around the world.

This communication is not about making any political statement; rather, it’s about creating a safe and inclusive environment where employees can share their feelings about the violence.

And for leaders to denounce hate in any form.

I hope that we remember the lessons of the past when people stayed silent; not speaking up makes people complicit with Hamas.

I pray we find our?humanity, renounce evil, and demonstrate care and compassion for others at this heartbreaking time.

As we continue to navigate this heartbreaking time, I have one ask: That we, as communications leaders, do our part to counsel our organizations and its leaders to do the right thing.

Now more than ever, our people need?empathy?and humanity.

David