the comparisons between gaza and the warsaw ghetto had always seemed obvious to me. it made me wonder why that comparison wasn't utilized by the media and other commentators or bloggers, who instead opted for "the world's largest open air prison," or, for the more radical among us, "concentration camp" (to bring focus on the barbarity of it).

i have begun to understand why "ghetto" has been assiduously avoided, as Masha Gessen explains in this video. as expected, many of the reasons are political and tied up with the unfolding understanding of (and attempts to redefine) anti-semitism and anti-jewish hatred. i don't understand fully, but Gessen's interview starts me down a path of understanding, including some of the recent rejections of Hannah Arendt's work.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NtSD2Y5g5OM

it also necessitates some attenuation of one of my previous post (though certainly not a complete overhaul of it): https://kolektiva.social/@bwinbwin/111535054677971378

@Miro_Collas thank you for bringing it to my attention.