The People of Israel Will Prevail

On Tuesday evening, Oct. 10, 2023, Beth Tfiloh Congregation in suburban Pikesville, MD. hosted the Baltimore Community Gathering in Solidarity with Israel. An overflow crowd in excess of 1,600 people joined in singing, prayer and remembrance for those impacted by the shocking attacks last weekend in Israel. The following call to action was offered by Noach Hacker: Minister of Economic Affairs — Economic Mission | Ministry of Finance at the Embassy of Israel in Washington, D.C. The entire program – which includes Minister Hacker’s moving remarks — may be viewed here.

My brothers and sisters,

I stand before you on this terrible time, one that has deeply affected the hearts and minds of people in Israel and around the world.

On Saturday, the 7th of October, during the Jewish holiday of Simchat Torah, Hamas – a cruel and inhumane enemy, an organization labeled as a terrorist group by the United States – launched a savage attack against innocent civilians.

There is no justification for such brutality.

The assault began under the cover of heavy rocket fire with missiles raining down upon Israeli cities, targeting innocent families as they slept in their beds. It escalated further with a ground invasion of thousands of armed terrorists infiltrating 30 residential communities, and 12 army bases – using open vans and motorcycles – using tactics employed by the most extreme terrorist organizations, such as ISIS.

In the days that followed, we were flooded with horrific images and videos. Images of women, children, and men being cruelly murdered; of old people and entire families being kidnapped; and of babies subjected to unimaginable abuse. Our homes and communities were looted and set on fire, causing immense suffering to their inhabitants.

For the Jewish people, these images are etched into our collective memory; a stark reminder of the most challenging times we’ve faced. Not since the Holocaust have so many Jews been killed on one day. The State of Israel has never witnessed such horrors before. This is not just another terrorist incident; this is not threat hundreds of thousands of miles away; this organization of animals is operating practically in our backyard.

To understand the magnitude of this tragedy into perspective, we often hear comparisons to other horrific terrorist events like 9/11. To illustrate, if we were to simulate the damage in terms of the Israeli population’s size, the loss of 1000 Israelis would be akin to approximately 40,000 Americans. This is 10 times 9/11. The feeling of insecurity and rage grips the residents of Israel, especially those sitting at this very moment in their shelter with their families.

We are at war.

We cannot afford anything less than a clear victory. The Jewish people cannot afford to lose.

The message that must emerge from this war is clear, not only to Hamas, but to all terrorist organizations and countries in our region seeking our destruction, led by Iran. That message is that the people of Israel cannot be defeated. The civilized and moral world will overcome the barbaric world.

With these images of horror, stories of heroism are beginning to emerge. Heroes like my friend from high school – Elhanan Calmanzon – who left his home in Atniel, with his brother and nephew, took weapons from the Yishuvs’ Emergency squad and went to Kibbutz Beari, because they heard that terrorists had infiltrated the Kibbutz.

Elchanan managed to rescue dozens of people, pregnant women, children, until he was shot and killed.

Like Elhanan, the names of other heroes have already reached me in the immediate circle, who went out to fight with guns and weapons they collected from the sides of the road from fallen soldiers, and ran forward to rescue the families of the people of Israel from the hands of the evil murderers. Major Moti Shamir, a former company commander in the Golani patrol unit – who was on study leave – is also one of these heroes.

We are united under a common goal, a true understanding that we have no other choice but to stand strong.

The people of Israel will prevail.

The support we have received from friendly nations, especially the USA, has been truly unprecedented. However, this support may wane as the days pass, and the memory of the horrors of Simchat Torah fades. But let us be clear: the State of Israel and the people of Israel will never forget. We will continue to fight until victory is achieved because there is no other choice.

Our strength and resilience also depend on your support. Our brothers and sisters, we implore you to continue your support through social networks, conversations with friends and acquaintances, and in any way possible. We cannot let such a tragedy be repeated.

Elhanan and I had a classmate, Nadav, who was killed in the army more than 20 years ago. There is a poem we read every year in his memory that I think is very appropriate for these very moments (the poem was originally written in Hebrew):

When I die, something from me
will die within you, will die within you
When you die, something from you in me,
something from you in me, Will die with you.
If we would know, how to calm,
how to calm the hatred, if we would only know.
If we would know, if we would know how to quiet our fury
Despite our insults, to say “forgive me”
If we would know how to start over from the beginning.
Because all of us, all of us
We are all a single living human tissue
And if one of us, leaves us,
Something dies within us–
and something remains with him.

Let us all work together to ensure that we hear good news in the days ahead.

Thank you