I’ve been on TikTok for the last month trying to understand
how the social media site handles posts about the Israel-Hamas war. This came
about because after the war broke out my niece asked me to educate people on
the conflict. I usually post on TikTok, but I had a broken arm, so I decided
just to comment. War sucks, but I do admit to a bias, I think Hamas must be
destroyed along with all the terrorist groups wreaking havoc in the Middle
East. There are so many conflicts Yemen, 377,000 dead, Syria, 306,000 dead, and
Lebanon 150,000 dead, to name a few. Terrorists managed to gain control in Iran
and Afghanistan. Terrorist groups don’t try to protect civilians, their main
focus it to kill civilians and anyone who opposes them.
I have been to Israel four times and seen the transformation
of the country into a modern technological powerhouse. It is not perfect but
Jews, Druze, Christians and Bahia
manage to live together in peace. It is the only country in the Middle East which
allows religious freedom. I am also a history major and spent a lot of
time learning about the region. If something caught my attention, I would
investigate further using credible sources.
I am happy to share my top ten observations from the
thousands of posts I watched. The posts were from Israel, Europe, ex-military,
Iranians, Americans and anyone whose content I learned something from. If you
look through my reposts at @carabertoia you can see my best of collection.
There are some great contributors out there. I included links to many creators points
so you can also enjoy their work.
1. From
the beginning of this war even before Israel invaded, I was curious at the lack
of pressure in TikTok videos calling on Hamas to return the hostages. If this
had happened to any other country, I think the calls would be loud and clear.
In fact, from the first day, they were calling the attacks resistance. Since
when is it permissible to classify terrible acts of atrocity resistance? If it
happened to their family, would they feel the same way? https://www.tiktok.com/t/ZT8mRMB76/
2. Very
few people on TikTok realize Gaza was under the control of Egypt not Israel in
1948, and wasn’t occupied by Israel. In 1967 they won Gaza in a war, and in
2005 they left, but in 2007 Gaza elected Hamas and started bombing Israel. If
Israel had been the occupiers there would have been no Hamas government, and
they would have known where the 300 miles of tunnels were. There was a naval
blockade to stop weapons from coming in, wouldn’t you do that to if people were
firing rockets at you. https://www.tiktok.com/t/ZT8uBdpNu/
3. Many
people have heard about the Nakba, but few realize a million Jews were ethnically
cleansed from Arab countries in the Middle East after 1948 either by murder or
expulsion. They lost their homes of over 3000 years with no compensation. No
one has ever advocated for them, and they have no right of return.
https://www.tiktok.com/t/ZT8mRNrck/
4. Somehow
people think there were no Jews in Israel before 1948 even though they wrote
the Old Testament in the land of Israel. Palestine is not the name of a people but
of a place where Jews, Christians, Druze, and Muslims lived. In the 19th
and 20th centuries Jews from Europe settled there but so did
Egyptians and Syrians. Like in most countries in the world there were
migrations of people across the region with all the tensions amongst groups
that entails. https://www.tiktok.com/t/ZT8mdCMKy/
5. Most
people on TikTok seem to think an independent Gaza would be some kind of
Islamic paradise absolutely ignoring the brutality that already exists under
Sharia law there now. Female circumcisions is practiced there as well as honor
killing and child marriages. I’ve heard women in the United States say they want
to date Hamas members and be taken hostage by them. I hope they get to fulfill
their dreams. https://www.tiktok.com/t/ZT8ushVF5/
6. One
of the main talking points is the children, don’t you care about the children.
But they only mean the Palestinian children, and when I ask if their prayers include
Israeli children they deflect. It is my litmus test. They never blame Hamas for
this war, the only ones who can actually save the children by returning the
hostages. https://www.tiktok.com/t/ZT8mdQ2Ws/
7. Most
people hear the word genocide shouted over and over by Palestinian supporters.
But most of these people don’t realize there is ethnic cleansing going on, but
it is by Arab countries. Besides the numbers of Jews going down to almost zero,
the Christian population have plummeted, the Yazidis, Baha’is in Iran, and
atheists. And talk about apartheid Jews can’t enter Gaza while there are two
million Muslims in Israel. They also talk about Israel being a colonial state
while they are sitting in America another colonial state. But I haven’t seen
any of them giving up their homes to Native Americans. https://www.tiktok.com/t/ZT8mRNWxP/
8. Western
organizations don’t realize it but by not condemning Hamas they are setting new
standards for warfare. Next time someone commits the atrocities like Hamas did
on October 7 and they claim to be a resistance group this will come back to
bite us! Muslim school children in France already beheaded a teacher. He showed
a cartoon of the Prophet Muhamad during a class on freedom of expression. If
Muslims object to that maybe France isn’t the country for them. https://www.tiktok.com/t/ZT8mdWjbB/
9. The
have many forums called TikTok live where people are supposed to be able to
discuss the war from opposing points of view. Mostly it is ill-informed people
spouting wild conspiracy theories that could be disproved with a three-minute
Google search. For example, some conspiracies about October 7th. It
never happened, there were no rapes or beheaded babies, no terrorism at all, or
the ever popular the IDF killed all the people. So, where did the hostages come
from? The hostages were treated so well hostages didn’t want to come home.
Really? Israel did it because they want the oil in Gaza. https://www.tiktok.com/t/ZT8mRNjo8/
10. Throughout
all of the news casts well-funded shadow groups keep appearing such as my
favorite Jewish Voices for Peace, an anti-Zionist, anti-Semitic group. They
would never get so much attention if they didn’t have the word Jewish in their
name. The condescending and insulting news media always trot them out to say,
not all Jews agree with Israel. I can’t find out how many Jewish members they
have, you don’t even have to be Jewish to start a chapter. But betraying your
people will get you so much more publicity. Where do they get their funding,
and why do they need millions for such a small organization? I bet some people
are making a great living out of trying to destroy Israel. https://www.tiktok.com/t/ZT8ukoMA8/
I’ve heard the debate, TikTok has removed so many Pro
Palestinian sites. Many of those sites openly call for genocide and spew hate
and conspiracy theories. But my experience has been quite the opposite. I’ve reported
vile anti-Semitic remarks worthy of a good Nazi and been told they don’t
violate community guidelines. So many time people on the site would say, not
all Palestinians support Hamas. I tried to repost some screen shots from a poll
sponsored by the Arab World for Research and Development that showed 80%
support for Hamas. It was taken down in five minutes for violating community
guidelines. I do believe TikTok is Pro Palestinian. They love anything that
will divide Americans. If you think the Chinese allow their citizens to post
such controversial views, you probably think there isn't Sharia law in Gaza.
For everyone who thinks it is about Israel and not Judaism
if you could read the vile comments, I received over the last month you would
know it is all about Jews! I can’t and won’t repeat most of them here but just
go to any pro-Israel site on TikTok and read the comments. It seems like many
of the accounts are bots with few followers, thousands of them. Who is paying
them? I used to think these people would be more civil in public but I don’t
believe that anymore. The more they say it is only about Zionism while being
anti-Semitic the more they convince me Jews need the country of Israel.
Sometimes I feel like I am a Jew in Germany in 1938 but now we are fighting
back, and most of the American people have our back. Remember the leader of
Hamas came out the other day and said there should be terrorist attacks in The
United States, Britain, and the rest of the west. They don’t want to just
destroy Israel they want to destroy our way of life.
Read the new short story from Cara Bertoia
 |
| A Short Story About Boobs! |
The Perfect Breasts is a personal and raw short story about boobs, written to honor breast cancer awareness month. It is about the pivotal moments in Hannah Clein’s life. The moments that change everything. All proceeds from every page read on Kindle Unlimited to every book bought will be donated to cancer research. Thank you for your help.
Hannah Clein will always remember the day she went to a department store with her mother to buy her first bra as her last best day, “B.C.” before the cancer. She considered herself an ordinary child who loved challah bread, reading, and her family – often in that order.
With a normal life in the rear-view mirror, we follow Hannah over three decades, as she navigates the tricky transition from girlhood to womanhood. All her life, she just wants to belong. Be normal.
In a tale that explores a women’s complicated relationships with her body, and the love of her life, we learn the psyche is a funny thing. What are the perfect breasts? And how does the loss of a loved one affect those left behind?
The Perfect Breasts mixes family lore with imagination in a compelling tale of loss, longing, and love.
Early Editorial Reviews:
The Perfect Breasts is a book that should be required reading for every woman because it does not soft-soap the emotional effect of a life-threatening disease and forces readers to face a hard truth: The ultimate symbol of femininity and womanhood can either be a source of great strength and pride or when lost, a weapon to destroy one’s faith in life and one’s self. — Susie Black author of The Holly Swimsuit Mystery Series
The Perfect Breasts is a heartfelt story about breast cancer and how it affects all of our lives. Because, yes, almost everyone knows someone who has been diagnosed with breast cancer.
Cara Bertoia handles the issue with sensitivity and compassion. She takes us on Hannah's journey. leaving us with hope and a promise for a good future. This is a story which should be read by everyone. — Janie Emaus author of Latkes for Santa Claus
Links to the Perfect Breasts on Amazon Kindle and Kindle Unlimited:
The Perfect Breasts by Cara Bertoia - BookBub
The Perfect Breasts by Cara Bertoia | Goodreads
