TWIP-251123 Neighbors, Narratives, and the Truth of Palestine

Today, we turn our attention not to headlines, but to the human question of neighborliness. Too often, Palestinians are spoken of as if they are unworthy reduced to caricatures, painted as “bad neighbors,” or dismissed as a threat. Cities like Dearborn, Michigan, with its vibrant Arab and Palestinian community, are stigmatized as places of hostility rather than celebrated as centers of resilience and care.

But what does it truly mean to have a Palestinian as a neighbor? Would they throw trash at your door, scratch your car, or break your windows? Or would they do what Palestinians have done for centuries—offer hospitality, share food, and treat the neighbor, whether Muslim, Christian, or Jewish, with dignity?

To challenge the myths, we bring you a clip titled “Jewish Rabbi Gives an Islamic History Lesson.” In it, Rabbi Haim Sofer of Neturei Karta reminds us of a deeper truth: that Jewish and Muslim communities lived side by side for generations, often in peace, often in solidarity. He recalls how Jews found refuge in Muslim lands after being expelled from Europe, and how coexistence—not suspicion—defined centuries of shared history.

So today, we ask not whether Palestinians can be good neighbors, but why the world has been taught to believe otherwise. And we listen to voices—like Rabbi Sofer—that remind us of the dignity, hospitality, and humanity that Palestinians have always carried with them.

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And this is where the silence ends.