On Oct. 8, 2023, the country of Israel experienced the unimaginable: a massive terrorist attack was launched by the Hamas militant group, killing thousands of innocent civilians. Prime Minister of Israel, Benjamin Netanyahu, officially declared Israel at war with Hamas following the vicious attacks. This declaration prompted a further series of attacks occurring between Israel and Hamas, resulting in thousands of civilians being killed.
The attacks began at approximately 6:35 a.m., when sirens rang in central and southern Israel in order to warn citizens of incoming rockets. Following these sirens, thousands of rockets began launching into Israel. Nearly an hour later, Israeli Defense Forces validated that members of Hamas had traveled from their homes in Gaza to southern Israel with intent to kill. Authorities in Israel urged local citizens to hide in their homes.
Hamas hasn’t always been identified as a terrorist group. The name ‘Hamas’ is an acronym for Harakat al-Muqawama al-Islamiya (which translates to “Islamic Resistance Movement”). It was originally founded by Palestinian religious leader Sheikh Ahmed Yassin, who became a religious activist through Muslim Brotherhood, a Pan-Islamic movement created in order to unite Muslims and work towards common goals. Contrary to the current actions of Hamas, in the 1960s, Yassin intended to perform charitable work in Gaza and the West Bank. In fact, Hamas worked diligently to resist another violent group known as the Palestinian Islamic Jihad (PIJ), who attacked innocent Israelites as a result of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.
However, in 1988, Hamas made a dramatic shift in character when they published a charter that announced their intention to destroy Israel. Following this publication, Hamas quickly began using violence against innocent Israelites in order to establish dominance and gain more power.
As a non-member of the Jewish faith, I tried my best to fully grasp the significance of the situation and how it has impacted practicing members of Judaism. After having an incredibly in-depth phone call with local rabbi Brian Michelson, I was left feeling equally as saddened as I was horrified for the members of the Jewish faith and what they experience on the regular.
Michelson was born into Judaism and has been active in his faith for his entire life. He has been a rabbi for over 25 years, in addition to spending six years overseas in Australia for a religious outreach. He currently serves as the rabbi for the Reform Congregation Oheb Shalom.
When I asked Michelson to describe his initial experience seeing the reports about the attacks in Israel, he stated that he immediately felt, “shocked, horrified, and deeply saddened,” followed quickly by concern for the well being of his friends that were currently living in Israel. According to Michelson, it took over 24 hours to finally reach contact with each one of these friends, which was an incredibly frightening experience for him.
Additionally, a recent threat was posed on the Reform Congregation Oheb Shalom synagogue, which was sent through an anonymous email. It was sent on Friday, Oct. 13, which stated that a bomb was planted near the synagogue and would go off a few hours after the email was sent. However, the email was incredibly vague and never specifically mentioned the name of Reform Congregation Oheb Shalom. Rabbi Brian Michelson and his team immediately contacted authorities about the threat, and police confirmed that the same email was sent to 60 other synagogues in Pennsylvania and appeared to be connected to the rumored “day of rage” that Hamas threatened to participate in against Jewish people all over the United States.
After hearing about this series of events, I was incredibly shocked that such a significant threat could be made against the Jewish faith. Yet after I brought my personal thoughts on the situation to Michelson, he said that acts of anti-semitism are “not new to the Jewish community,” and that his particular synagogue has experienced years of death threats and extreme instances of hate.
On Friday night following the threat, Michelson held a meeting that gave members of the Jewish faith an opportunity to speak on the recent anti-semitic events that have taken place. He urged people that these acts of hate are intended to instill fear in members of the Jewish faith; therefore, the people of the Jewish faith cannot let these hateful acts win.
The bottom line is that the anti-semitism taking place across the globe is wrong. Thousands of innocent lives are being taken from the horrifyingly violent actions of Hamas, which are predominantly driven by anti-semitic hate. Rabbi Brian Michelson strongly encouraged the importance of educating oneself about the situation and truly listening to those affected by the events. He also urged that those wanting to get involved should contact their congressmen in regards to helping those affected by the war (both Israelites and Palestinians).
However, it is also important to recognize that the Israel-Hamas war is not a black and white situation, as thousands of innocent Palestinians located in Gaza have been killed by Israeli forces. According to the UN, Gaza has been described as “a graveyard for thousands of children,” as a result of the rocket launches coming from Israel. Since Oct. 7, over 15,000 Palestinians have been killed from Israeli attacks. These series of events have entirely uprooted the once thriving city of Gaza, which is now a humanitarian crisis.
Similar to the anti-semitism taking place against practicing members of the Jewish faith, Palestinians have also faced severe hate and violence from Americans. According to BBC News, on Oct. 13, a peaceful pro-Palestine protest took place in Harrisburg, Pennsylvania. Though it started very peacefully, it ended in a terrifying series of events when a man showed up with a firearm, pointing his weapon at the peaceful crowd while aggressively yelling racial slurs. In Plainfield, Illinois, a six-year-old Palestinian-American boy was horrifically stabbed to death, while his mother was severely injured. These attacks were performed by their landlord in a vicious act of hate simply because of the religion of the mother and her son.
As the Israel-Hamas war still rages on, it is important to educate oneself on the violence occurring daily. Israel and Hamas continue to fire rockets against one another, leaving a significant impact on the people of Israel and Palestine. Hostages still remain in Gaza, some having been released after weeks of torture and severe trauma, while others still live in danger. Dozens of charitable organizations are putting efforts into providing emergency aid for victims in Gaza, such as Action Aid, Anera, The Red Cross and MSF. By educating yourself on the war and contributing to these non-profit organizations, you can help the innocent victims falling to the terrorizing events occurring between Israel and Hamas. It is also important to not give in to the vicious acts of anti-semitism and racism taking place against members of the Jewish faith and Palestinians, and instead comfort them in these incredibly difficult times.
