Hank Zenoli Takes A Stand Against Israeli Actions In Gaza.

Hank Zenoli returned his Righteous Among the Nations medal to the Israeli embassy in The Hague in 2014. His actions are in protest of the Israeli airstrikes on Gaza that killed six of his relatives. Zenoli and his late mother Johana Zanoli-Smit were awarded the medal in 2011 for hiding a Jewish boy during the Nazi occupation of Holland.

A 91-year-old man named Hank Zenoli returned a special medal he received from Israel for helping Jewish people during the Holocaust. He made this decision after six of his family members were killed in an airstrike in Gaza.

Henk Zanoli and his late mother, Johana Zanoli-Smit, were given the title “Righteous Among the Nations” in 2011. They were awarded for hiding a Jewish boy when the Nazis controlled Holland. Henk’s father had also suffered in concentration camps for opposing the Nazis.

The Zenoli family faced great danger during World War II, but they still helped those in need. However, Hank Zenoli has now returned the medal to the Israeli embassy in The Hague as a form of protest. This decision was influenced by the tragic loss of his relatives in a recent airstrike in Gaza on July 20.

During the conflict known as Operation Protective Edge. A fighter jet from Israel bombed the family home of Ismail Ziadah, who married Hank Zenoli’s father’s great-niece. In this airstrike, the family lost their matriarch, Muftiyah, three sons, a daughter-in-law, and a 12-year-old grandson.

His Sad Words

In a letter to the Israeli ambassador published in Haaretz. Hank Zanoli expressed that keeping the honor granted by Israel in such heartbreaking circumstances would be an insult to the memory of his courageous mother and a disservice to his grieving family. He mentioned that his family had supported the Jewish people for many years. But he has come to believe that the idea of building a state exclusively for Jews, known as the Zionist project, had a racist element from the beginning.

Zenoli’s decision to return his medal was met with mixed reactions. Some people praised him for his courage and conviction, while others criticized him for politicizing a humanitarian award. However, his story helped to raise awareness of the ongoing conflict in Gaza and the human cost of the Israeli airstrikes.

This heartfelt act of returning the medal serves as a powerful reminder of the human cost of conflicts. The need to stand against injustice, even when it involves deeply personal decisions.