Counting Every Soul: A Response to the Response
Rabbi Menachem Creditor | May 28, 2025
After publishing my essay, “Counting Every Soul: We Are Not Giving Up,” I received a wave of engagement—some thoughtful, some painful. First among the critiques was the question: Do Palestinians have souls? The question, in its very framing, wounded me. My essay mourned the 58 hostages still held by Hamas, named and unnamed, alive and murdered. It sought to hold space for Jewish pain on the 600th day since October 7th. That an expression of grief for my people was met with such a question left me breathless. Is our pain so unimaginable that to voice it must be offset by a disclaimer? I was not denying Palestinian suffering—I was counting ours.
One responder pointed to the phrase “every soul” in my title and asked if I meant every soul. Another accused me of justifying genocide by prioritizing “tribal pain.” Let me be clear: I did not say only Jewish souls count. My piece was not a geopolitical treatise—it was a cry from within the anguish of my community. To suggest that holding space for that grief is immoral, or even racist, misunderstands both the piece and the human need to feel seen in our own sorrow.
I do use the word “tribe,” and I use it with love. Tribe, to me, is not primitive—it is sacred. It is family, identity, and belonging. One can love one’s tribe and still advocate for justice and dignity for others. To feel deeply for one’s people is not to dehumanize others. I reject the false binary that caring for my own must come at the expense of others. I ask only that I be granted the same fullness of humanity I extend to others—complex, grieving, and striving to be just.
Some readers asked for my writing that centers non-Jewish pain. I welcome that inquiry and encourage those interested to explore my writing. Others questioned whether any criticism of Israel, including the use of the term “genocide,” should be taken personally. I can only say: when accusations invoke language that negates the legitimacy of my family’s very being, I feel erased. So would anyone.
This follow-up is not a defense. It is a continuation of my counting, soul by soul—including those who disagree with me, including those who question me harshly. The counting must go on. And we are not giving up.
