No Virginia. This is not a genocide

 The shrill cries of " Its a Genocide!!!!" are repeated everywhere- from social media to city council chambers, to the ubiquitous anti-Israel protests.

No, its not.

This is a war.
A war Hamas started. 
A war that Hamas is losing (badly). 
And a war that Hamas can end today, by surrendering and freeing the kidnapped Israeli hostages.

In our lifetime, there have been many wars, military actions and insurrections

1. The Second Congo War (5,000,000 dead)
2. The Vietnam War (4,000,000 dead)
3. Soviet–Afghan War (2,000,000 dead)
4. The Nigerian Civil War (2,000,000 dead)
5. The Second Sudanese Civil War (1,500,000 dead)
6. The Syrian civil war (600,000 dead) 

7. The Angolan Civil War (500,000 dead)
8. The First Sudanese Civil War (500,000 dead)
9. The Ethiopian Civil War (900,000 dead)
10. The Iran–Iraq War (1,000,000 dead)
11. The Rwandan genocide (700,000 dead)
12. The Bangladesh Liberation War (2,000,000 dead)
13. The South Sudanese Civil War (350,000 dead)
14. The Yemeni Civil War (380,000 dead)
15. The Boko Haram insurgency (350,000 dead)
16. The Somali Civil War (400,000 dead)
17. Burundian Civil War (300,000 dead)
18. The War in Darfur (300,000 dead)
19. The Russian invasion of Ukraine (300,000 dead)
20. The First Congo War (600,000 dead)
21. The Colombian conflict (400,000 dead)
22. The Mexican drug war (300,000 dead)
23. The Tigray War (350,000 dead)
24. The War in Afghanistan (250,000 dead)

Even if we believe the death toll from the Hamas run Gaza Ministry of Health (and we have no reason to believe them) the total is far far less than any of these actions. 

No, Virginia.   Its not a genocide. 
From an article originally posted at Pro Israel Bay Bloggers

Meet Elana Auerbach, Candidate for Berkeley City Council

Elana Auerbach is running for Berkeley City council in District 4, in a special election scheduled for May 28.   District 4 covers the downtown business district and central Berkeley. The sudden resignation of Kate Harrison has left the 4th district seat vacant.

Elana Auerbach is a quintessential "How Berkeley can you be?" candidate. 

Elana's commitment to "public service" began with her involvement in the "genital-focused" One Taste sex cult, which has been accused of human trafficking.  Elana and her husband eventually left the cult, but Elana has found an equally dubious way to give her life meaning.

Elana Auerbach is proudly identified anti-Zionist.   One day after  October 7, the single largest loss of Jewish life since the Holocaust, Elana joined local extremist groups to rally in front of  San Francisco's Israeli Consulate, in the time-honored local tradition of gloating over the deaths of innocents

Look at Elana's smile!

Elana Auerbach celebrating the October 7th massacre

Elana's been making appearances at UC Berkeley's "How dare the Jews fight back" encampment, proudly posing with fellow outside agitator, Russell "Rusty" Bates.

Elana Auerbach and Rusty Bates at anti-Israel encampment, UC Berkeley

Lest anyone think they are participating in a peace rally, the encampment at Cal Berkeley features a banner promoting "Victory to the resistance".

October 7 gave the world a glimpse of what Palestinian "resistance" looks like.

Who's Elana's good buddy, Rusty Bates?  Rusty's a Berkeley fixture, an unhinged antisemite known for interrupting Berkeley City Council meetings and Jewish community events on and off campus.

Rusty Bates interrupting Berkeley  City Council meeting

                                   

Rusty Bates arrested in front of the Israeli consulate, 2014

Apparently Elana Auerbach's mother never told her that you are known by the company you keep.

So Berkeley voters, its time to mobilize.  That means registering and voting.   Lets work together to keep partisan extremists off the Berkeley City Council, and lets keep the focus on building a better Berkeley.