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When I started reading the latest (9/5/26) column by Randy Krzmarzick, I was thinking back to our own vacation in Europe this spring, and the beautiful city of Prague. However, unlike Mr. Krzmarzick, I do not recall thinking about past wars there, for the simple reason that wars have been a part of history since the Biblical times, through ancient, medieval, and modern history, and everywhere in the world, be it Europe, Asia, Africa, or the Americas.
And let's remember that murdering Jews during the Holocaust had nothing to do with God (even though thousands of people were murdered on 9/11 in God's name), so we should keep God out of that, because it's murderous people who bring him in when it is convenient, and human nature was the driving factor for all wars: people's envy, desire for power, stupidity, ignorance, and many others.
Speaking of human nature, what I was thinking about while in Europe was the socialism that my family was lucky to escape long ago. I was pondering how poor those socialist countries were, how miserable people there felt, how misleading all socialist promises turned out to be, and how many people still believe in them.
In reality, we had long lines, corruption everywhere, deficit for practically everything, dreadful healthcare (sure, free, if you don't consider bribes necessary to get an appointment with a good doctor or semi-decent service in a hospital, if that word is even applicable in an 8-person patient room with no curtains), and constant fear to say something "politically incorrect" in the presence of wrong people.
However, I would not have been writing this if not for the last paragraph of Mr. Krzmarzick's piece. I wish I could educate him on the complexities of the Middle East on its long history on the legal and historical meaning of the word "genocide," and on many other things the author seemed to ignore, misconstrue, and omit in two short sentences that accused almost an entire nation of the worst possible crime.
Since I don't have the privilege of writing multiple columns, I have to be short, so I will just say that if Israel wanted to destroy Gaza and its people (that is what the definition of genocide is based on -- intent), it could have done it quickly and easily.
Instead, it risked lives of its own soldiers, moving slowly, trying to distinguish, when possible, between combatants and civilians (a very difficult task when combatants do not wear uniforms and hide amongst civilians while using them as human shields, both war crimes), and warning residents of upcoming strikes.
If Israel wanted to destroy Palestinian people, it would not have encouraged them to move out of combat zones (if it is even must be said, Nazis did not allow Jews to leave the Warsaw ghetto), would not have allowed them for treatment in Israel, and would not have Palestinians living in Israel become doctors, teachers, and Supreme Court judges.
So, Mr. Krzmarzick, my invitation stands: if you are willing to learn, I am open to a conversation.
-- Llya Gutman is a resident of Marshall