Renaming Israel Is Surrender

Never Again Means Never Silent

I am shocked beyond words.
No, scratch that. I am angry. I am furious. But most of all, I am deeply, painfully shocked.

And it hit me like a déjà vu. A flashback to a life I thought I had left behind. To the Middle East. To Syria. To Damascus. To fear.

Years ago, I wrote my very first blog explaining the name of my website. I explained why I chose to write, why I chose that name, and why words matter. The name was simple, but the meaning was heavy: The Other Side Is Real.

Back then, the subject wasn’t hard. Israel and everything connected to it. But the name? That took thought.

I remembered how Israel was spoken about when my mother, father, brother, and I lived in Syria. Or rather, how it was not spoken about. Israel was never called Israel. It was called “the other side.” As if it didn’t exist. As if even naming it would summon a curse. The other side. A forbidden phrase. A forbidden truth.

And don’t you dare say the word Israel out loud. Don’t you dare acknowledge it. Because if the wrong person heard you, your life was no longer safe. If you crossed the wrong man, you could end up hanging in Marjeh Square, the Hanging Square, just a few hundred meters from our home in the center of Damascus.

So I chose the name fast, the way I do things. The Other Side Is Real. That is the name. Get used to it.

Fast forward to now.

I’m scrolling LinkedIn. Yes, LinkedIn. I see a post with a strong, positive message. And then I see the image that goes with it. A meme. And that title hits me in the gut like a punch.

“ISRXEL’s bobsled team qualified for the Olympics for the first time ever.”

ISRXEL.

Not a typo. Not a mistake. Deliberate. Intentional. Carefully chosen.

When questioned, the man who posted it explained there was an “unfortunate reason” he had to write it that way.

Unfortunate? No. That is not unfortunate. That is shameful.

ISRXEL. The other side. Israhell. Every twisted variation designed to avoid saying one word. Israel.

How is it possible that the day after Holocaust Remembrance Day, we are doing this to ourselves? How do we tolerate Jews and allies deliberately delegitimizing Israel through language? How do you even dare?

Where is the backbone? Where is the fight against antisemitism? Where is the line that says “this stops here”?

Was he afraid of LinkedIn? Probably. LinkedIn is one of the most Israel-hating platforms out there. I can testify to that personally. I was banned for four years simply for speaking facts. But fear has never saved Jews. Silence has never protected us.

So what is the alternative? Do we want to be associated with the image of the defenseless Jew who quietly boarded the trains to the death camps in Poland? Without resistance. Without protest. Without a voice.

Because that is what this looks like. Self-censorship dressed up as “strategy.” Cowardice sold as sensitivity.

Or do we unite? Do we stand tall? Do we follow the example of the brave Israeli Defense Forces, who don’t apologize for existing, who don’t rename themselves to make others comfortable, who fight for what they believe in?

Words matter. Names matter. Identity matters.

ISRXEL is not neutral. It is erasure. It is fear. It is the same logic that called Israel “the other side” in Damascus. The same logic that pretends if you don’t name something, it will disappear.

Never again is not a slogan for one day a year. Never again means never silent. Never shrinking. Never disguising who we are to appease people who already hate us.

I am shocked beyond words.
But I refuse to be silent.