Reckoning with Genocide in Our Time

Last week was unlike any other for the Jewish people since the Holocaust. On Saturday morning, Hamas terrorists invaded southern Israel from Gaza attacking over twenty border towns and cities slaughtering over 1,400, wounding over 4,000 and kidnapping 199 people. The terrorists murdered entire families in cold blood including babies, children, and the elderly. In some cases, children and parents were tied up and tortured before being executed. Bodies have been found burnt along roads, at bus stations and in cars. Hundreds of people – including toddlers and elderly people - were kidnapped to Gaza. Women were raped and then murdered and in some cases paraded in the streets. People were beheaded. Hundreds of legal experts agree what occurred likely constitutes the international crime of genocide. Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin put it plainly, “I know something about ISIS and this is worse than ISIS.” Experiencing and recounting the stories of death and terror is a trauma to the human conscience. And that is by design. Yet we have an obligation to not look away from the inhumanity and barbarism of this atrocity. Only by seriously looking at what happened and what is happening - what this article aims to contribute to - can we prevent this from happening again.

A few years ago I had the opportunity to visit the people living in the attacked towns. These Kibbutz communities are noteworthy for their modesty, simplicity, sense of togetherness, and belief in peace. They are some of the most progressive communities in Israel. They embody the collectivist spirit of the Kibbutz emanating from the founding of Israel. While there, I met the prominent journalist, Amir Tibon. Amir spoke about a sense of purpose and emotional attachment to the ethos of these communities were what brought him and his wife Miri to move from Tel Aviv and raise their two daughters there.

Last Saturday Amir and his wife faced every Israeli’s worst nightmare: armed terrorists outside their home. After hiding in silence for 10 hours Amir’s 62-year-old father and soldiers rescued them. Amir and his family were the lucky ones – many of his neighbors were murdered or kidnapped. One is Vivian Silver, a prominent peace activist, who immigrated from Canada and worked to aid Palestinians in need for decades. Last Saturday she was kidnapped by Hamas terrorists in her home. These are the Israelis who despite frequent cross-border rocketing over many years maintained their commitment to peace and justice for the two peoples in this land. The gruesome aftermath for the people of these towns and villages presages a wound that cannot and will not heal for generations.

On Sunday, the Democratic Socialists of America (DSA) promoted a rally in Times Square celebrating with raucous delight the destruction of lives and families the day prior. How did the glorification of atrocity become morally acceptable? When did the crime of genocide become grounds for celebration as though it was a World Cup? In recent years anti-Israel extremism has risen and been normalized in far too many political spaces. Those willing to call out such antisemitism have found themselves vilified and expelled from progressive spaces. This is why I decided not to attend my local community board meetings for a time after experiencing the mainstreaming of this same hatred among people considered leaders in our community. Where does this leave us?

There will be much to uncover about the security failures that led to this tragedy. There is already reporting on the year-long planning and sophistication of the attack that pierced Israel’s military surveillance and communication systems. This contributed to a slow response by the Israel Defense Forces (IDF). In addition, security officials had been warning for many months the current government’s push to overhaul the nation’s judiciary and the political polarization that ensued, were imperiling military readiness. Moreover, it has been reported 80 percent of the IDF was deployed to the West Bank at the time of Saturday’s attack.

The strength of Israel lies in its people. Since last Saturday Israeli civil society has mobilized to volunteer, assist victims, and prepare for what lies ahead. How can we help? Last Monday, I organized a community vigil in response to last week’s horrors. The feeling of grief and anger for the lives lost permeates the Jewish community right now. No nation can accept the brutality the people of Israel experienced last week. As President Biden stated, if this atrocity happened here in the United States our reaction would be swift and overwhelming. More innocent lives – both Israeli and Palestinian – will tragically be lost. We must mourn them all.

But we also need action. Here is how you can help:

• Raise awareness. Share this article and other true stories about what is happening. We need to look at what is happening closely, what led to it, and collectively build memory and remember this tragedy so it does not happen again.
• Donate. Organizations like American Friends of Magen Adom are doing impactful humanitarian work and are worthy of your support.
• Engage with your representatives in Congress on the necessity of returning the hostages held by Hamas in the Gaza Strip to their families.