Mick Hartley

Many Jewish friends have asked why I choose to be outspoken even at the risk of physical safety, losing friendships, etc….So maybe now is a good time to explain.

During my first visit to Yad Vashem in 2021, I passed by a wall with fifteen male faces on it. Our tour guide…

— liv (@liv_laynee) October 23, 2024

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During my first visit to Yad Vashem in 2021, I passed by a wall with fifteen male faces on it. Our tour guide stopped, staring at the men for a moment, before explaining that these faces belonged to the individuals who participated in the Wannsee Conference.

"These men," He explained, "considered the backbone of the Reich, convened to discuss the implementation of the Final Solution. The meeting lasted 90 minutes. We possess comprehensive records detailing their names, rankings, and what each person said during the conference because we have the official meeting transcript…"

"One man in particular was present at the conference. He's documented in the meeting notes as an attendee, but there's no mention of him in the transcript, indicating he didn't contribute verbally. He didn't say anything. Now, years later, we're left to speculate whether his silence stemmed from hesitance to voice dissent or if he merely agreed with the Nazi ideology and had nothing to add."

With a sweep of his hand toward the lineup of men depicted on the wall, the tour guide concluded, "We'll never truly know whether his failure to speak was due to fear or agreement."

I knew in that moment that I never wanted to be that person- the type of person that my kids and grandkids would look back at my life and wonder what I stood for.

I visited Kfar Aza multiple times before 10/7. I visited it after. There are some things you can’t unsee.

I have friends in the IDF, who put their lives on the line for their country- and what kind of person would I be if I didn’t fight for them here, in whatever way I can?

My parents taught me that it doesn’t matter if you’re the only one of the room who speaks out. If you see something wrong, you call it out- no matter the consequences.

But the reality is, whatever I’ve “lost” for standing with Israel- I’ve gained within the Jewish community tenfold. The love, the community, the compassion. In ways that my other friends cannot understand, the Jewish community has seen my pain and not only validated it, but amplified my voice and stood with me. The resilience and the strength I have are in large part thanks to them. And for that I truly am eternally thankful. More than you’ll ever know.