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Jews Should Watch Netflix’s “Mo”
Until we humanize each other, there can never be healing or peace
When Netflix’s “Mo” series debuted on August 24, 2022, I was a bit apprehensive.
A series about a Palestinian refugee trying to achieve citizenship in the U.S. was certainly going to be riddled with anti-Israel propaganda, I thought to myself.
I was partly right.
The series skews history — Israel’s aways the bad guy; Palestinians are blameless victims. Neither characterization is entirely true.
But what the series does get right is a relatable storyline that hopefully makes viewers reflect on their own deep-seated biases, beliefs and behaviors.
We’ve too long focused on invalidating each other’s heartfelt feelings, trauma and positions for so long that we’ve all lost some of our humanity when it comes to others.
Palestinians viewing Israelis as all monsters and land thieves, and Israelis viewing Palestinians as all terrorists and animals. With neither side really taking the time to dig into each other’s truths and trauma.
Season 1 of “Mo” was good entertainment but didn’t really push the envelope when it came to politics.
