Tag: terrorism

The Gaza/Hamas 500. It’s not a race.

Posted on by Keith Dvorchik
The poster reads, “500 Days, Get Them Out of Hell”

500. An unbelievable number. Growing up, I remember when the US hostages were taken in Iran. The TV show Nightline, was created to track the daily updates on the hostages. The program began on November 8, 1979, four days after the start of the Hostage crisis. It is still on television, more than 45 years later. Yet the stories of the 250+ hostages taken on October 7th remain largely unknown. More than 40 Americans were murdered on October 7th by Hamas and I doubt most Americans could name one. 12 Americans were taken hostage by Hamas on October 7th and I doubt most American know the number or know how many remain a hostage today (thankfully the number is only 1 and he is scheduled to be released this Saturday).

Hamas targeted individuals from over 40 different nationalities during its attacks in Israel. The victims included citizens from the United States, Canada, France, Germany, the United Kingdom, Thailand, Nepal, and several other countries. Yet the world has largely been quiet as their citizens were attacked, murdered, and kidnapped by terrorists all because they are Jewish or because they were in Israel at the time of their kidnapping or murder. It is a horrific indictment of the world’s antisemitism and Jew hatred.

Today, the Hamas leader in Gaza, Khalil al-Hayya, announced that six living hostages, including Hisham al-Sayed and Avera Mengistu, will be released on Saturday. Bedouin Arab Israeli Hisham al-Sayed, seized in 2015 and Ethiopian-Israeli Avera Mengistu, seized in 2014, have gotten no world attention. Avera has spent the last DECADE as a hostage of Hamas while Hisham has been a Hamas hostage for nearly a decade.  

Avera Mengistu and Hisham al-Sayed, hostages of Hamas in Gaza for a decade

al-Hayaa also announced that four deceased hostages will be released on Thursday, with the remaining four deceased hostages from Phase A to be released next week. This release plan has been confirmed by Israeli officials. While we can take a deep breath once they are home that phase A of the ceasefire and release will be completed, there are still 59 hostages remaining in Gaza, including at least 28 deceased. How the world allows this is horrifying. How the world defends this is horrifying. How the world demands that these terrorists and monsters be allowed to rebuild Gaza and remain in power when they openly state that they will do this again and again is beyond offense. All I can say to the world is “F YOU”. Israel knows better. It appears the new US administration knows better.

After the surprise attack on Pearl Harbor by the Japanese during World War 2 and the killing of 2,400 Americans, President Franklin Roosevelt addressed Congress and, via radio, the nation. He spoke powerfully with the famous line, “December 7, 1941, a date which will live in infamy.” and immediately declared war on the Japanese. The Japanese attacked not just Pearl Harbor but also US bases throughout the South Pacific. Thousands of American’s were taken prisoner, hostages, and experienced unbearable cruelties.

FDR addressing Congress and the country after the December 7, 1941 Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor

Former Ambassador Michael Oren asked a powerful question today. Imagine if instead of declaring war and fighting the evil of Japan and Nazi Germany, Oren wonders what if FDR had instead said the following“The enemy has not just massacred our citizens, but they have also taken hundreds, perhaps thousands, of prisoners. They are now being held hostage and will be raped, starved, and tortured to death, unless we agree to Tokyo’s demands. We have no choice but to concede, America must do everything to liberate the hostages.”

That is what Israel has faced since October 7, 2023. 500 days since the murder of more than 1,200 people with more than 250 people taken hostage by the evil of Hamas. The world and many nations demanding that Israel surrender. Requiring that Israel negotiate with terrorists. It made me think of this classic scene from the movie, Tropic Thunder. Negotiating with terrorists means you always lose because they have no morals or ethics. Their word means nothing. They will give you whatever you want to get what they want because they never intend to hold up their end of the bargain. They will simply do it again and again to get more and more. At some point, the answer must be no, so why not start there? FDR did and the Japanese and Nazi Germany were defeated. Imagine if he had caved to their demands. Imagine if he had surrendered instead of fighting to defeat them.

500 days. 500 days of suffering for the hostages. 500 days of suffering for those who have had loved ones murdered or kidnapped. 500 days of a nation in shock, in mourning, dealing with rage and PTSD. 500 days of the entire Jewish people impacted. What would have happened if the world had said NO on October 8th. What would have happened had the world not accepted what Hamas did as resistance and instead treated it as it was, an act of war. What if the leadership of America and the world stood up like FDR did in 1941 and clearly stated that it was not acceptable, not ok, and we would do whatever was necessary to defeat this evil? Unfortunately we will never know.

What we do know is that we cannot allow Hamas, Hezbollah, the Houthis, and Iran to continue their reign of terror. After the release of the six living hostages on Saturday, there will be at least 28 bodies to reclaim and perhaps as many as 31 people to get returned alive. Each one of their souls is precious. Each one of the families of those murdered deserves to have the body of their loved one returned for a proper burial and an opportunity at closure. The question we have to ask is, at what cost? Is it a fair trade to get them back if it costs us another 1,200 people being murdered in the next attack? Another 250+ people taken hostage? More women raped? Babies beheaded? Lives and families destroyed? These are difficult questions and I am glad that I am not the one who has to make that decision. The one thing I know is that IF I had to make that decision, that is the question I would be asking. At what cost? Am I willing to address the families of those 31 people who don’t come home and explain myself? Or would I rather face the families of 1,200 people in the future who have loved ones murdered because of my decision? The families of 250+ people who’s loved ones are hostages because of that decision?

As I am writing this, the following press release from the Hostages and Missing Families Forum Headquarters came out, which broke my heart.

Statement from the Bibas family:

“In the past few hours, we have been in turmoil following Hamas spokesperson’s announcement about the planned return of our Shiri, Ariel, and Kfir this Thursday as part of the hostages’ remains release phase.

We want to make it clear that while we are aware of these reports, we have not yet received any official confirmation regarding this matter.

Until we receive definitive confirmation, our journey is not over.

We ask the media and the public to respect our privacy and refrain from contacting us about this matter.”

Shiri, Ariel and Kfir Bibas. It appears our worst fears are true.

I have written a lot about this family in part because I so identify with them. They had two boys. I have two boys. The age difference with their children is almost identical to the age difference of my children. I felt as if my family could have easily been their family. At my Passover table, I had their pictures on empty chairs as if they were sitting at my table. I left these pictures up on the chairs for a few months because I couldn’t bear to take them down. When their bodies are returned, like Hersh Goldberg-Polin, I will watch the funeral. I may light a shiva candle for them because I so identify with them.

So what comes next? Will there be a phase 2? How do we reconcile the murder of this mother and her two beautiful children with the release of more terrorists? How do we enable the people who murdered this beautiful mother and her two babies to walk free, let alone stay in power? Is the cost of getting those 31 hostages home too high? A friend of mine has had a number of his family members who are hostages. All but one have been returned and that one is scheduled to be released on Saturday. I can hear his voice in my head telling me that no price is too high. I also hear the voice of friends of mine who are Generals and Lt. Colonels in the IDF telling me that we simply must win this war and we can only do that by ending Hamas and their rule and influence. Not only in Gaza but also in Judea and Samaria (also known as the West Bank).

I never really thought that the first phase of the agreement would actually be completed because of Hamas. If it wasn’t for the strong response from the current American administration when Hamas threatened to pull out of it, it wouldn’t have. I never expected that the talks about phase two would actually happen like they are. I am not optimistic that phase 2 will happen. As Bibi, Secretary of State Marco Rubio, and President Trump have said, it’s time to end the ‘drips and drabs’ of hostage releases. Yet if Hamas releases the hostages, what do they have left to bargain with?

We must never forget the hostages and do all we can to get them home. We cannot also allow a situation to occur where future hostages will be taken because Hamas, Hezbollah, the Houthis, or Iran think Israel and the United States are weak. These are challenging times with no clear answer. The future of Israel, the future of America, the future of the West and our values are at stake here. No matter what anybody tells you, don’t forget that. Evil cannot be allowed to win. Evil must be eliminated. Whatever it takes it what it takes because if we let Evil win, if we let Evil flourish, the world we want to live in will cease to exist.

Am Yisrael Chai – Release them all NOW!

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Carlos Santana, Red Rocks, Nova Music Festival and October 7th

Posted on by Keith Dvorchik

Last night I fulfilled a bucket list item. Most people know that a bucket list is a list of things you want to experience before you ‘kick the bucket’ and leave this world. Seeing a show a Red Rocks in Colorado was on my bucket list. But not just seeing any show. I wanted to see an artist who enhanced the beautiful venue and where the venue enhanced the artist. When I saw that Carlos Santana was playing Red Rocks, I knew this was the one.

Red Rocks is outside Denver. It’s a beautiful natural theater set in a park in the mountains. As you drive in, you are captivated by the beauty all around you. Instantly, you are transformed to a magical and special place. The beauty is awe inspiring. It immediately brought me to the desert in Israel which is also captivating. The view of Masada and when on top of Masada, the view of the Dead Sea and all around you.

Red Rocks Park

We drove up the winding hills to get to the upper level parking lot and I was thinking about the drive to Tzfat and how the bus driver is always a magician with the roads and the twists and then finally parking so we can get off the bus. The old parking area where he would back up until it felt the bus was going to fall off the cliff.

We parked and began the walk to get to the venue. Once again I was transformed to Masada. Either the snake path or the Roman path has the preliminary entrance that gets you excited about what’s ahead and sometimes even a little intimidated about the climb (especially the snake path)

Making the climb up to Red Rocks Arena. What a beautiful start to the climb

We got to the area and found our seats. Wow! What a venue. As you looked around it was spectacular. There was music playing, the buzz and energy from the crowd was electric and I knew that this was going to be something special. I have many friends that have seen shows here and they all rave about the venue and how special it is. I was about to experience it and couldn’t believe it. My wife, Alison, could sense my excitement and her energy level was high as well.

The Counting Crows took the stage. I loved their music in the early 90s and had forgotten about it. As they began the play, it was still daylight and we sang and danced. You could see the people in the crowd and on the stage. It felt like a festival.

We were entranced by the acoustics, the way you could feel the music fill your soul and your body because of the venue. We danced. We sang. We were free. It was exhilerating. The sun was setting and it was changing the vibe in the venue. As we were enjoying ourselves, the people next to us leaned over and asked, “Are you from Israel?” It seemed to be a strange question in the middle of Colorado while the Counting Crows were playing, but I answered them, “No, but I just got back. Why do you ask?” They had seen my tattoos on my forearms, one saying ‘We will dance again’ and the other to remember the Nova Music festival. They were from Israel and seeing me with my tattoos, my Magen David, and my dogtags to remember the hostages and the Nova festival was very meaningful for them.

Instantly, everything transformed for me. Having been to the Nova site twice this summer, I was suddenly transformed to an American version of Nova. The people in the theater were the people at the Nova festival. The music we were enjoying and letting go listening to was the music that they were dancing to and enjoying on October 7th. Red Rocks was the desert near Gaza. As I looked out beyond the stage, the views reminded me of the views from the lower Galil just a few weeks ago as we prepared for Shabbat.

Red Rocks views that resemble the Lower Galilee in Israel

I could imagine fireworks in the air above me, what the Nova concert goers thought the rocket attacks on October 7th were. I could imagine people on hangliders flying in over the mountains to attack. I could picture terrorists coming from the bottom by the stage and from the top and sides of the venue, trapping us with nowhere to go. No chance of survival. Red Rocks had become Nova and the bomb shelters around Nova.

It was a chilling feeling and hard to let go of. Part of me knew I would never let go of it. October 7th and what I had seen at Nova and Kibbutz Kfar Aza along with in the Hamas 47 minute video are burned into my soul, into my being. I also knew that I had to let it go. As Mia Schem said, and then had tattooed on her arm after being released from being a hostage by Hamas, “We will dance again'” means we must continue to live. We cannot be consumed by the past although we can never forget it. It is why I got it on my forearm. To remember both what happened and that we must live. So I refocused. Took in the beauty around us. As the Counting Crows finished and darkness took over the arena, I looked around and found the beauty again.

Red Rocks looking up from row 25 to the back. Spectacular.

Santana took the stage and the show was more incredible than I expected. He is a musical genius, his sound unique and piercing the venue, the acoustics bouncing it all around and through us. We sang. We danced, we were overwhelmed by the experience. I said to Alison many times through the show how incredible the music was both in my ears and through my body. If you have never had that experience, it is indescribable. It took over my entire being.

I love this song and it fills my soul – last night at Red Rocks it filled my body as well

Yet throughout the concert, I kept looking to the sides and above me, just in case there were terrorists hangliding into the arena or ambushing us from the front, back, and the sides. It was surreal, almost like being in a movie waiting for the bad guys to take over the innocent civilians and then hoping the good guys would get there in time. Knowing the isolation of Red Rocks, I wasn’t secure that they would. I could channel the fear of the festival attendees waiting for the IDF to show up and rescue them and not having them come in time.

This is the reality of the post October 7th world. We have seen evil up close in a way we never have before. The way that Hamas live streamed and recorded their murders, rapes and kidnappings has never happened before. The way it touched and impacted the entire Jewish community is transformative. As a little kid, I remember watching the TV mini-series “Holocaust” and being worried about taking a shower for a day or two, wondering if it would be a shower or gas. But that was a TV show. I knew that wasn’t real. I knew that it happened 30 years prior but that those were actors I was watching. What we saw on October 7th was real. They were not actors. I have met their families. I have seen the devastation with my own eyes, touched it with my own hands, felt it deep within my own heart.

Carlos Santana said twice last night that, “It takes courage to be happy” and he is correct. Mia Schem reminded us of that when she said, “We will dance again” and got her tattoo. I have mine to always remember that. October 7th was a defining moment in both Jewish life and in the history of the world. We saw pure evil face to face. How we choose to handle it yet to be determined. The fate of not just the Jewish people but the entire world depends on it.

Santana playing The Name of Love, a great song and reminding us about love, not hate.

I can’t wait to return to Red Rocks to see another concert. Alison and I both said the same things as we walked out of the venue, ‘we need to come back’. There is something spiritual and holy about this site. Just like there is somethign spiritual and holy about the Nova site and Kfar Aza for me. Red Rocks and Nova will always be linked for me. My vow is that it is also about the future beauty of music and love and community. I won’t let the evil of October 7th ruin the future. Last night I felt like the soul of every person murdered on October 7th was there with me, celebrating the music of Carlos Santana and dancing with me.

The Nova site

A day of lessons – there is so much to learn

Posted on by Keith Dvorchik

Yom Ha’atzmaut continued today in such a subdued manner it was shocking.  It was easy to forget that it was still Independence Day as so much was different than previous years.  I am used to the beach being packed, barbecues happening, an undercurrent of joy, the planes flying over the beach in formation, and so much more.  Last night, the port was empty as we went for dinner.  In a normal year, it would have been packed with people, music, fireworks, and celebration.  This year is different.

My friend, Dr. Debi Gilboa (also known as Dr. G) spoke to use this morning about courage and resilience.  Debi is a wonderful person, doctor, friend, and speaker and today was no different.  There were three things she talked about that really resonated for me.

Dr G, my friend Debi Gilboa, and me.

The first was about how in 1908, sixty-six (66) families left Jaffa and moved to Tel Aviv to create something.  There was nothing there.  I have seen the pictures at Independence Hall in Tel Aviv or what it looked line then.  Huge sand dunes.  That’s it.  These pioneers and their families took and incredible risk moving to the middle of nowhere, on a sandy beach, with no drinking water, no housing in place, and no farming for food that was growing.  Why would they do this?  What could be their rationale? 

The pioneers that created Tel Aviv in 1908. They had courage.

By moving to Tel Aviv, they had a chance at self-determination.  They had a change to take control of their own destiny.  They could build a city where they were in charge and could live the way they wanted to live, as Jews.  I’m sure every one of them was scared and felt unsure at times.  Yet they did it anywhere.  The fear of where they were coming from along with the opportunity that presented itself was enough to help them fight through their fear to build the city of Tel Aviv.

The second was about courage.  Courage is not feeling fear or being afraid.  Courage is feeling fear and being afraid and getting through it anyway.  The 66 families that started Tel Aviv in 1908 felt plenty of fear, yet they would not let that fear stop them from following through and building the city of Tel Aviv.  We heard from and met people from Kibbutz Alumim today.  The Kibbutz is 3 km from Gaza and was attacked on October 7. It is the only kibbutz that was attacked on October 7th, the terrorists got into the kibbutz, but did not get into the houses.  Those on the kibbutz who hid in their safe rooms with their families and those who defended it were scared but they fought through the fear to survive.  Courage looks different but always involves facing your fears and finding a way through them.

The third topic that resonated strongly with me was when she talked about how God told Abraham and Sarah, “Lech Lecha”.  Translated this means ‘Go to yourself.”  This is when they left where they were living, left Abraham’s father’s house, and followed God’s directions.  Debi shared with us that it also means for each of us to be true to ourselves.  That we must take care of ourselves.  After October 7, Israelis are doing what they have to do to take care of themselves.  It’s emotionally difficult and requires courage to do this.  In the diaspora, we are struggling with this.  How do we take care of ourselves in a world filled with rising antisemitism?  How do we take care of ourselves when we see the hate on college campuses?  How do we take care of ourselves when we see physical violence occurring just because somebody is Jewish?  When Jewish speakers and events are cancelled because the venue ‘can’t ensure security’?  During the day today, this became a topic of many conversations I had.  The consensus seemed to be that we need to invest more in what being Jewish means to us.  Each of us individually has the opportunity to ask that question of ourselves and our families.  What does being Jewish mean to me?  How do I express being Jewish in a meaningful way to me?  Are there things I might want to do or that I like to do that I am not?  If so, what are they.  If not, maybe I want to explore what they could be.  I have found myself doing this over the past few years and coming up with my own answers for me.  I have found that I enjoy learning more about what being Jewish entails by spending time each week talking and learning some Torah with a Rabbi and how it applies to my life today.  Can the lesson change my behavior and how I feel about things?  Each week I learn a little bit more.  I am not more religious.  But I do feel more Jewish.

Debi’s talk, similar to when I am learning lessons from the Torah with my Rabbi, made me think a little deeper about issues.  I have more to chew on and more questions to ask myself.  Being on this trip, I have brothers to talk with and delve deeper together.  That’s also part of being Jewish – having a community to be a part of so life is not lived alone.

We spent time at the Peres Center for Innovation and Peace.  I’ve been there before and it is an amazing place, created by Shimon Peres, with an intentional incredible view of the Mediterranean Sea to inspire peacefulness.  The main floor is an exhibition space and when I walked in, I was struck by the exhibit from October 7th that was there.  It was truly unbelievable.  There was a huge screen with a video documenting the events.  There was a photo exhibit that was captivating.  I videoed part of the video screen and noticed that the reflection of our group watching it was also seen in the recording.  I thought that was appropriate as we are all a part of October 7 just like it is a part of us. 

The video presentation at the Peres Center for Peace

I came out of the Peres Center with three takeaways this time.  First, Israel has always been about peace.  The Declaration of Independence explicitly offers peace and a welcome to the Arabs to join the new country.  It was the Arabs that rejected that peace and went to war.  Since 1948, Israel has offered peace many times and until the Abraham Accords only found peace partners with Egypt and Jordan.  Neither is a warm peace, but both have held.  Despite the media wanting to say that Israel is the problem, the colonizer, the oppressor, Israel’s actions since 1948 have shown them to be a willing partner for peace with whoever wants to engage with them about peace.  When the war with Hamas in Gaza ends, and it will end, it is highly likely that the peace and normalization with both Saudi Arabia and Indonesia will be finalized.  More and more Arab nations are coming to realize that they are better off being peaceful and partners with Israel than trying to eliminate them.  That is both the narrative we need to be using and the future for the region.

Secondly, there was moment in the video about Shimon Peres where he says that he didn’t feel like he was really the Prime Minister until he “sat in the Old Man’s chair”.  The Old Man is David Ben Gurion and it made me think about leadership.  Israel has had some incredible leaders.  Ben Gurion, Shimon Peres, Moshe Dayan, Yitzhak Rabin, Menachem Begin, Golda Meir, Ariel Sharon, Chaim Weizmann, Ze’ev Jabotinsky, Yigal Allon, Abba Eban, Levi Eshkol, Yitzhak Shamir, Yigael Yadin, and Ezer Weizman are like Israel’s version of our American Founding Fathers, only I remember almost of all them in my lifetime.  Israel is a young country and with the loss of these key leaders, the question remains who is going to step up.  There is no question that the current situation both in Israel and in the world is a result of leadership challenges.  I found myself wondering who would be the next wave of leaders that will step up, both in Israel and the United States, to take us to the next level.  Israel turned 76 this week.  When the US was 76, it was 1852.  We were 8 years away from Abraham Lincoln and his leadership.  The US was about to enter a civil war.  It was leadership that got us through those challenging times.  Who will be both Israel and the United State’s Abraham Lincoln for this time period?  Without that leadership, I fear for the future of the world.

The third takeaway was when Peres was summing up his own life near the end.  He said, “I didn’t dream big enough” and he urged everybody to dream bigger.  In today’s world, I think we need to listen to him and dream bigger.  We need to think beyond what is possible and think what would be ideal.  Then we work towards accomplishing the ideal.  We may not reach ideal, but we will be far better off than if we just try to accomplish what is possible.  It reminds me of the saying, “Shoot for the moon, and even if you miss, you will be among the stars.”

One of the highlights of the day was our visit to The Squadron, a flight simulator created by a high-ranking commander in the Israeli air force.  The commander gave us a very high level briefing which was incredible.  The pattern of three take-aways continued from his talk. 

The Squadron let us wear flight uniforms and do the simulator. I always wanted to be Top Gun

When talking about October 7, he said that the country was already in a weakened position because of the civil unrest that was going on before then.  The protests of the government policies and attempts to change key laws, the status of the Prime Minister and his legal issues, and the split in the country.  It sounded far too familiar to what we are dealing with in the United States.  He said to us, “When the body is weakened, the germs can get in and attack”.  This is what happened on October 7.  This is what we are seeing set up in the United States today.  I found myself asking myself how far away are we in the US from our own version of October 7?  Would it come from the far right?  From the far left?  From a terror attack funded by Iran?  Are we getting ready for another 9/11 but on a much larger scale?  Will we learn from Israel or continue to stick our heads in the sand?

He also said that he believes there will be no peace for at least 100 years because we have lost the youth.  It made me think of the exodus from Egypt and how we had to wander for 40 years for the generations of slaves to die so that a new generation that didn’t know slavery could rise.  Do we need to wait until the generations who have grown up with hate die off so we can have a new generation that doesn’t know hate rise?  I hope we don’t need to wait 100 years or more.  I hope we can make changes in our world now that shorter that time.  The one thing that I do believe is that the instant gratification expectations of the US and Europe are not realistic and that this will take time.  Can we shorten the 100 years to a decade?  2 decades?  I don’t know but perhaps it is time that we change our expectations and begin the hard work to get there instead of hoping and praying that it will happen in 2024 or 2025.

The final takeaway was when he said that the only thing that will get us out of this is leadership.  I agree with that 100%.  As I wrote above and have written before, we have a serious lack of leadership in the world and in our Jewish communities.  It is time to invest in leadership.  We need to make hard choices and difficult decisions.  We need to change the paradigm that we currently live in where leaders are determined by money.  Our leaders need to lead, unafraid of the personal consequences because they are doing what is needed for the community, the nation, and the world.  We need the courage Debi talked about.  We need to dream bigger like Shimon Peres said.  We need to allow the great leaders to rise and truly lead. 

We then got to try their fight simulator. These were F-16 simulations and it was truly amazing. It gave me great admiration for the air force pilots and made me want to practice more and more.

Keith taking off in the flight simulator

Our final stop for the day was to meet with the people from Kibbutz Alumim.  They have been relocated from their kibbutz near Gaza to a hotel in Netanya since October 7.  We heard from two people at the kibbutz.  Sarit, a young mother, hid in her safe room for 26 hours with her husband and 2-year-old daughter.  Sarit’s husband was able to grab a little schnitzel for their daughter and one diaper for her before they entered their safe room for 26 hours.  That’s not much in terms of food and one spare diaper for 26 hours isn’t nearly enough.  Her descriptions were intense and thankfully the terrorists didn’t get into any of the houses on this kibbutz.

Sarit talking to us

The reason they didn’t get into any of the houses on this kibbutz was because of people like Eyal, the second speaker.  This kibbutz had 15 members of their defense force that were trained and had access to guns in their armory to protect the kibbutz.  Facing 150 or more terrorists invading the kibbutz, these 15 people fought them off.  They ended up getting help from the IDF with a helicopter coming and helping shoot at the terrorists, killing many and driving them away after a full day of battle.  Eyal ended up getting shot 4 times.  Once on the side of his face, once in his back, once in his side, and once through his lung and out his scapula.  He was rushed to the hospital where he was able to recover.  The story of bravery on this kibbutz was not remarkable compared to the stories I have heard on other kibbutzim.  What I took from it was the importance of being prepared and trained.  Nobody wants to think that we have to be prepared to protect ourselves, but the reality is that we do.  We can hope that we never have to use the training and that the practice is just that, but we need to be prepared.  Whether it is in Israel or in the United States, a failure to prepare is preparing to fail.  We no longer can afford that luxury.

Eyal talking to us

Outside the hotel, near the school they had created for their children, we had a huge barbecue and got to celebrate life with the members of the kibbutz.  There was nothing like seeing the children fully engaged in life.  Just as my grandparents used to say that looking at us, their grandchildren, was the proof that Hitler had lost, watching these children play and live life was proof that Hamas failed.  Those who hate us failed.  We survived once again and we will thrive again.  Some of the little kids gave us gifts of vegetables from the kibbutz and seeing them warmed my heart.  Then a few of the young boys came over to dance with us and that was the highlight of the day.  It warmed my heart.  We danced.  We sang.  We smiled.  We laughed.  We lived.  I made sure to get a picture with them to remind myself that no matter what, we choose to live.  And we choose to live freely as Jews.  Authentic to ourselves. 

The boys from the Kibbutz who came to dance with us
Dancing with the kids from the Kibbutz – it made the entire day.
Kids from the Kibbutz giving us gifts of vegetables from their Kibbutz. They were so adorable.
How can you not smile watching this toddler on his tricycle. 7 months ago he was hiding in a safe room as his parents hoped they wouldn’t be butchered by Hamas terrorists

I knew when I got on the plane to come this time that part of why I was coming was because October 7 and what has followed has ripped a hole in my soul.  Watching the children, dancing with them and seeing them choosing life has begun to repair that hole.  We need to listen to Dr. G and be courageous.  We need to hear Shimon Peres and dream bigger.  We need to pay attention to the lessons from the air force commander and demand real leadership and invest in leadership development.  And most of all, we need to live authentically and with joy.  Life is too short and too important to waste.

Kids at the barbecue back to life after the terror of October 7th. We must live life to the fullest.

Fight, Flight or Die – you get to choose

Posted on by Keith Dvorchik

Columbia University has been in the news for the past few weeks due to their anti-Israel and anti-Jewish encampment.  UCLA has been for the same reason.  Portland State.  Northwestern.  Harvard.  Yale.  Penn.  University of Michigan. George Washington.  Cal Poly Humboldt.  Brown. Cornell.  Princeton.  University of Southern California.  Arizona State.  CCNY.  CUNY.  Plenty of Universities where students went beyond free speech and protests, violated University policies, intimidated Jewish students, blocked access to campus, and in the case of UCLA, violently attacked and beat a Jewish woman, Yale where a Jewish woman was stabbed in the eye, and Columbia where two Jewish men were attacked.

Then there are Universities like the University of Florida, University of Texas, Florida State University, University of South Florida, University of North Carolina.  University of Utah, University of Illinois, Mary Washington, Northeastern, Indiana, Wash U in St Louis, University of Pittsburgh, UConn, University of Utah. VCU, University of Georgia, Tulane, and Virginia Tech.  At each of these Universities, the University Presidents and leadership allowed free speech and protests but enforced their campus rules and regulations.  As such, when the protests went beyond free speech, they were broken up and people arrested.

For the most part, it’s the first group of schools that have been in the media.  That’s because of the old news adage, ‘If it bleeds, it leads.’  We saw an incredible lack of leadership by the University Presidents at those schools.  Columbia President Minouche Shafik, fresh off her testimony to Congress, enabled the protesters, didn’t enforce the campus regulations, finally called in the NYPD, and then promptly apologized for doing it.  Jewish students were encouraged to finish the semester away from campus, being denied the equal protection of the law and equal access to the education they are paying for.  Chants of “go back to Poland”, ‘We are Hamas’ and ‘Globalize the intifada’ occurred on campus.  US Representatives Ilhan Omar and AOC showed up to support the active hatred of Jews on campus.  Omar even said, “We should not have to tolerate antisemitism or bigotry for all Jewish students, whether they are pro-genocide or anti-genocide.” 

Khymani James, a student at Columbia and one of the leaders of Columbia University’s anti-Israel encampment threatened to kill Jews in a live stream meeting with the school.  Nothing happened until it became public when he was barred from campus.  He was then let back on campus until they were exposed again and he was suspended.  Columbia chose to be complicit with threats of violence against Jews.

These are threats to Jewish students.  The encampment grew and got more violent and more active.  Finally, they took over a campus building, barricading themselves inside and doing damage to the building.  After a ridiculous press conference with a student leader who demanded ‘humanitarian aid’ for those who chose to occupy the building and could leave at any time, did President Shafik relent and call in the NYPD to break up the protest.  She wasn’t interested in protecting the Jewish students, only protecting her campus buildings.

Northwestern President Michael Schill chose to give in to the student terrorists holding his campus hostage.  Brown University did the same thing.  Their leadership caved to the students’ bad behavior, breaking of the campus rules and regulations and criminal activities.

These Presidents and their administration have failed their test of leadership.  They have abandoned their Jewish students.  There are calls for their resignations as a result.  I can’t imagine any other group facing what Jewish students have faced in which the actions and behaviors of these Presidents and administrations would be acceptable.  At UCLA, their failure, along with the assault on a Jewish woman, resulted in Jewish students believing they had been abandoned and taking matters into their own hands, working to break up the antisemitic, illegal encampment resulting in a riot. 

We have a serious leadership problem on our campuses.  By not holding students and faculty accountable to the rules when it comes to Jewish students, they are guilty of endangering Jewish students’ safety.  They are committing Title VI violations and there may be civil rights lawsuits against them.  They have become a national joke, and the Universities are viewed unfavorably by most.  There is a reason you don’t negotiate with terrorists.  Reinforcing their bad behavior only ensures more bad behavior in the future. 

Compare that to the University of Florida, who’s President, Ben Sasse, provided the campus rules and regulations in advance along with the consequences for violating them.  When the protesters went beyond free speech and violated the campus rules, the consequences were enforced. 

Other universities took action after letting the protesters know they were violating the campus rules and would be arrested if they didn’t disperse.  When they didn’t, the police came in and arrested them. Actions have consequences. Failing to obey the rules and the law is illegal.

I want to be clear.  Free speech is important.  Being able to protest is important.  However, when people decide to break the rules or break the laws, there are consequences for their actions.  That’s what they were arrested for, their actions.  Protests matter and there is a line that cannot be crossed.  When the line is crossed, leadership has an obligation to act.

When I see some of our country’s leaders in an uproar because the protesters are held accountable, I get angry.  They know better and they know it is only happening because it is against the Jews.  When I see our country’s leaders and our Jewish communal leaders be silent about what is happening to Jewish students on campus, I get angry.  We cannot put our heads in the sand and hope it goes away.  We know better.  We know what comes next.  I’m grateful to our country’s leaders and our Jewish communal leaders who have spoken up and taken public positions.  There are far too few of them. 

Sen. John Fetterman, Rep. Elise Stefanik, Rep. Ritchie Torres, and Speaker Mike Johnson have been leading public advocates to protect Jewish students on campus.  Others have joined them.  Yet far too many have been silent or supporting these encampments designed to terrorize, intimidate, and block Jewish students and faculty from entering campus.  In many cases they assaulted Jewish students. This has nothing to do with the war in Gaza.  It has nothing to do with humanitarian aid.  It has everything to do with antisemitism, Jew hatred. 

Chris Cuomo, a TV talking head, spoke out eloquently against the rise of Jew hatred on these college campuses.  His comment on Twitter when he posted it was shocking.  “I never thought in America I would have Jewish people thanking me for arguing that they have a right to exist.”  It is worth watching.

UNRWA came out with an announcement that there is plenty of food available in Gaza but there isn’t money to buy it.  This is humanitarian aid, provided for free, that UNRWA is either allowing Hamas to steal or selling to Hamas who is selling it on the black market.  The more facts that come out, the worse people like AOC, Ilhan Omar, Cori Bush, Jamaal Bowman, Nancy Pelosi, Rashida Talib, and these protesters look. 

May 1 starts Jewish Heritage Month.  President Biden issued a proclamation in which he references protecting the Jewish community in the United States but fails to mention anything happening on campus.  He talks about the hostages but has failed to pressure Qatar, who houses the leaders of Hamas, and continues to provide Iran, the funder of Hamas, with more money.  His words don’t match up with his actions.  We need to demand more of President Biden and of Congress.  We need to make our voices heard loudly.

As antisemitism, Jew hatred, increases in the United States, I see and hear more and more Jewish people speaking up and being outraged.  I am part of a group of parents who are concerned about what is happening on college campuses and I see the change as Jewish parents and students no long look to the Ivy League schools and look for safer campuses.  I have received calls and emails from parents who want to take advantage of Governor DeSantis’s decree that he will waive many of the transfer requirements for Jewish students to transfer to Florida Universities.  Yeshiva University extended their transfer deadline.  The Technion in Haifa has openly offered sanctuary for Jewish students, graduate students, and faculty who don’t feel safe at their University. 

This is America in 2024.  We need to face reality and act.  Raise our voices and speak out and speak up.  We need to thank our allies in other communities.  We need to thank our politicians who are supportive and make sure our voices are heard by those who hate Jews and fight for there to be more antisemitism, more Jew hatred.  If you haven’t been an activist, it’s time to become one.  Our collective silence has brought us to this point.  It is our collective action that will defeat Jew hatred.  It’s your choice, fight, flight, or die.

The content of our character gets an F

Posted on by Keith Dvorchik

Terrorism is one of those things that as Americans, we have always thought of happening elsewhere.  Even when the Oklahoma City bombing occurred, it was by an American who many people made excuses for.  It didn’t feel like real terrorist.

September 11, 2001, was supposed to have changed everything.  Arab terrorists hijacked airplanes and flew two of them into the Twin Towers, one was crash landed in Shanksville, PA, and one crashed into the Pentagon.  Nearly 3,000 Americans were murdered that day by terrorists.  We felt what terrorism was like.  We engaged in a war in Iraq and then Afghanistan that lasted for 20 years.  But we were never hit again.  Despite the concern that more attacks were coming, the United States has been spared a second terrorist attack after 9/11.  And so, we have forgotten the horror of terrorism and terrorists.  We have forgotten the evil. 

Each September 11th, we remember in a lesser and lesser manner. It is not a national day of remembrance. It is not a sacred day. There isn’t a school assembly where all the names of the victims are read. Perhaps it’s the 20 years of war that came after that has us tired. Perhaps it is our lack of an attention span. Perhaps it is because we choose to get partisan and blame ‘the other party’ for either entering the war, not winning the war, or the way we finally exited the war. We paid a terrible price on September 11th and it’s a day that I will never forget. But as a country we remember it like we remember Pearl Harbor Day. “A day that will live in infamy” is no longer a recognizable quote to the millenial generation. I wonder if they would even recognize ‘Let’s Roll’ two decades after it was one of the most inspiring statements we heard.

Israel on the other hand, has had to deal with terrorist every day.  I have spoken with IDF leaders who have told me what they stop every single day.  And we see in the news what happens when a terrorist gets through.  The first and second intifada along with rockets from Gaza and Lebanon, stabbings, shootings, kidnappings, and more.

I’ve been in Israel for Yom HaZikaron and Yom Ha’atzmaut (Israeli Memorial Day and Israeli Independence Day) and they are days you won’t ever forget. The country shuts down on Yom HaZikaron. TV only shows stories of heroic soldiers. The sirens at 7 pm and then at 11 am are dramatic and unforgettable. The names of those lost are read in each community. It is a powerful experience. Yom Ha’atzmaut starts right at the end of Yom HaZikaron and the mood changes from sadness to joy in an instant. Freedom is celebrated, not sales on mattresses or appliances. You can literally join any party going on in the country whether you know the people there or not. Israel never forgets.

But even Israel never imagined the horrors of October 7, 2023.  Nobody, other than Hamas and Iran could imagined that occurring.  Having seen the 47-minute Hamas video from October 7th, it was horrifying.  And I know there is far worse that Israel has video of that they refuse to put into the public domain because of just how horrifying it is.  Rapes, murders of babies, women and the elderly.  Burning of people alive.  Cooking babies alive in the oven while their mother is forced to watch, sometimes while also being raped.  Seeing what the IDF soldiers saw, in real time, when they came upon the Nova Music Festival was haunting. I’ll never forget the bodies strewn everywhere, the anxiety in the voices of the IDF soldiers as they hoped to find anybody alive and the disappointment each time they realized that nobody was left alive.

The Nova music festival. I’ve seen the video of what the first responders of the IDF saw when they arrived and it’s horrifying.

In the United States, it is as if 9/11 never happened.  We blame Israel for it happening.  We hold Israel responsible for the evil of Hamas, using children, women, and the elderly as human shields.  We ignore the hostages, now taken over 160 days ago.  We excuse UNRWA for their participation in the horrors of October 7th, in hiding hostages after their abduction, and for their theft of humanitarian aid for the people of Gaza and diverted to Hamas.  When the people of Gaza riot because humanitarian aid is coming in and going to UNRWA to distribute and they know that means it goes to Hamas, we blame Israel.  When Hamas fires on the people of Gaza trying to get the humanitarian aid before Hamas can steal it, we blame Israel. We continue to fail to hold Hamas responsible or recognize that they are pure evil. 

We, and the world, have convinced ourselves, that this is between the Palestinians and the Israelis.  We have convinced ourselves that this is about the need for a Palestinian state or about Israeli construction in Judea and Samaria.  We fool ourselves into ignoring the influence of Iran and their goal of creating a new Caliphate, with the Iranians and radical Shiite Muslims in charge with everybody living under Sharia law.  We forget that we are the infidel they rail against, thinking it’s just Israel, it’s just the Jews.

We also forget that they hate anybody who isn’t like them, even other muslims. On October 7th, Hamas didn’t care if you were Jewish, Muslim, Christian, American, or Thai. They hated everybody. That’s what happens with evil. And if you don’t destroy evil, evil wins.

Hamas Also Slaughters Muslims

Even the people of Gaza are now holding Hamas responsible. Now that they don’t have to fear for their lives because Hamas killed any opposition and are not in charge any longer, they are speaking out loudly. While some of the people were involved with October 7th and many more support the hatred, there are plenty who want to live in peace with their neighbor Israel. I found the same thing in Judea and Samaria when, in 2019, I went to meet with leaders of Palestinian civil society. Take away the corrupt government and the evil of terrorists and there is a possibility for peace.

We choose to blame the government of Israel, Bibi Netanyahu, the far right fanatics in the government like Itamar Ben-Gvir, or the ultra-religious Jews in Israel for the hate coming from Hamas, Hezbollah, the Houthis, and Iran.  We choose to excuse barbaric behavior because it is against Jews.   Remember #BringBackOurGirls from 2014 after 276 high school girls were abducted from a government school in Chibok, Nigeria?  Remember the number of celebrities who stood out, loud and proud, that no woman or girl should be taken captive, raped and held against their will?  That only counts if you aren’t Jewish.

Julia Roberts is one of many celebrities who spoke out in 2014 that remain silent now. Shame on them.

Remember 1979 and the hostage crisis in Iran?  It spawned the TV show Nightline to keep everybody up to date on a daily basis.  Yet the hostages taken by Hamas – including Americans and Muslims – draw no attention.   Kfir Bibas, stolen when he was 8 months old, celebrated his first birthday in captivity.  His four-year-old brother Ariel was also kidnapped and remains in captivity.  What type of barbarism is this and better yet, what type of human beings are we that allow this happen and aren’t marching in the streets of every country to free these babies?

Kfir and Ariel Bibas. Babies. Hostages. How the world is not outraged is inexcusable. It’s only a matter of time before it happens here.

Noa Argmani and Naama Levi, two beautiful young women were attending a music festival, like many of our young adults do.  They were attacked by butchers who murdered young adults in cold blood, savagely raped them for the crime of being in Israel.  Noa and Naama were taken hostage.  Who knows what brutality they have faced since October 7th?  We can all imagine the worst after what we saw these Hamas terrorists do to girls, women, and the elderly. 

Noa Argmani and Naama Levi, taken hostage by Hamas on October 7th. We don’t know what brutality they have faced or if they remain alive. Where is the outrage?

They aren’t the only young women taken hostage and being brutalized in the tunnels beneath Gaza.  And if you think it’s only over there and only Jewish women so you are safe, look at the signs held by AMERICANS in NEW YORK CITY on Sunday.  “Rape is resistance”.  “Babies are occupiers too”.  After the killing of George Floyd, we had resistance in major cities like Seattle, Portland, and Minneapolis.  Today these people would tell you that raping your wife, daughter, or mother would be acceptable because it’s ‘resistance’.  I remember reading about how in Seattle people went to homes and told the owners that it wasn’t their house.  That they were occupying land and had no right to live in the houses they purchased.  These same people would say that kidnapping their children would be acceptable because they were ‘occupiers’.  Don’t fool yourself that it is only there and only for Jews. 

Remember these signs when your baby is taken or when your wife, sister, daughter, or mother is raped. This is in NYC this past weekend!

Jews have long been the ‘canary in the coal mine’.  What happens to Jews happens to others afterward.  Take a minute to do a search for “Jews canary in the coal mine”.  You will see articles going back years documenting this.  It’s not post-October 7th.  It’s history.  When we allow this to happen, we encourage it to happen to us.

Just last week, an illegal migrant from Lebanon was caught at border.  He admitted that he is a Hezbollah terrorist and was hoping ‘to make a bomb’ and was headed for NY.  Terrorism is in the United States.  It’s just a matter of when and where the event happens. Or events happen. We are worried about planes that have issues with maintenance and construction while nobody has died in a major airline plane crash since 2009. How will we reconcile our priorities when people die in America at the hands of terrorists? Who will we blame? One thing we know for sure is that nobody will take responsibility.

Two weeks ago, a grenade was found in the back seat of an Uber in New York. As the bomb squad tried to get to the car to assess the situation, defuse the grenade, and save lives, Anti-Israel protesters blocked the police from reaching grenade in the Uber during a Times Square march. Luckily the grenade was inert and nobody was harmed by it. The hatred for Israel and Jews was more important than saving the lives of people in the area from a possible live grenade. We were lucky this time that it was inert. Next time?

People climbing on the police care as officers try to address a grenade in a nearby Uber
Protesters climbing on the police car and blocking police from getting to a nearby Uber with a grenade in it.

Last night was the ZOA gala in Hollywood, Florida. Peopel who support the existance of a Jewish homeland gathering together to celebrate it. We have many nation states in the world for people of all backgrounds, faiths, cultures, etc. There is only one Jewish state and that’s what Zionism is – the belief that we should have. Zionism is not colonialism as there is no desire to expand beyond our historical homeland. There is no aparthaid. The declaration of independence speaks clearly about being a home for all peoples. Zionism isn’t about Bibi Netanyahu, merely the most recent elected Prime Minister. His time will end and there will be a new Prime Minister. And a new one after that. And so on and so on. At this wonderful event last night, in order to ‘help Palestinians’, people assaulted a Jewish person with an Israeli flag. How does that help Palestinians? How does that help the people of Gaza? We know they don’t care about the hostages because they are Jewish. Instead of listening to the people of Gaza about Hamas and working to create a place where Palestinians can live peacefully with their neighbor Israel, instead of building a country with hospitals that are not armories, schools that teach math and science, not hate, these people merely want to hate. Watch th video and see hatred, see evil. If they really wanted to help the Palestinians and the people of Gaza they would listen to them and push for an end to Hamas.

Violence outside the ZOA gala just because he has an Israeli flag

Last week, I heard Senator Chuck Schumer speak passionately about Israel and Israel’s right, as a sovereign nation, to defend herself. He spoke about the evil of Hamas and how they must be defeated. He spoke about the special relationship between the United States and Israel. He was animated. He was passionate. Three days later, he completely backtracked, calling for early elections in a sovereign country. He let partisan politics overtake his moral, ethics, and values. I was disgusted. Not just disappointed, not just angry, but disgusted. Here is one of our elected leaders, in one of the most high ranking positions in our government, a self identified Jew, talking out of both sides of his mouth without integrity. This isn’t about likeing or not liking Bibi. This isn’t about thinking he is the problem or the solution. This is a democratic country that has free elections and has a process for them. Unlike the Palestinian Authority, where Mahmoud Abbas is now in year 19 of his 4 year team. Let that sink in for a minute. No calls for elections in year 19 of his 4 year term. I’m not sure Senator Schumer can regain my trust. Our leaders continue to lose our trust based on their lack of integrity, lack of morals and values. When our leaders don’t have them, how much longer can we exist as a democracy (or a republic for those who want to be critical).

Beware of Dangerous Advice: An Urgent Letter to President Biden

A TikTok trend in 2023 asked women to ask men how often they think about the Roman Empire.  Women were shocked that men think about the Roman empire so often. I think men think about it so often because it was an amazing, powerful empire. It gave the world so much. When we look back on it, we don’t understand how it ever fell. It was so powerful. It covered all aspects of life. It was on the cutting edge of everything. It was simply the best of the best. How did it every disappear? How did the Roman Empire fall?

I think we are seeing it firsthand now in both Europe and the United States. We are so full of ourselves that we have lost all common sense. Instead of striving to look at people as people, to find our similarities and focus on them instead of our differences, we now highlight our differences and minimize our similarities. We fill ourselves with hatred towards those that are different. We allow babies to be hostages. We allow women to be raped if it supports a cause. There is no right and wrong any longer. In the words of the Presidents of Penn, MIT, and Harvard, ‘it depends on the context’. It never depends on the context. Evil is bad. Period. You cannot justify evil. There is good and evil and there is a difference. The world is now attempting to justify evil. The world is ignoring the definitions of words like genocide and apartheid to make them into catch phrases that sound powerful and allows people who use them incorrectly to feel superior.

Rome fell for many reasons. The three most common reasons cited are corruption, the division of the empire, and invasion by Germanic tribes. We are filled with corruption in our world today and in our country. We are as divided as we have been since the civil war. All that is missing is the invasion. As we saw last week when a Hezbollah terrorist was caught with the intention to set off a bomb in NY, the invasion has begun.

Can the fall of the United States be that far away? Will future generations study us and the Roman empire and see the pattern and do better? Do we have a chance to save our country and our world? I don’t know but I get less optimistic each day as we sink further and further into the abyss of hate, divisiveness, and stupidity.

May the hostages come home safely and soon. May the war in Gaza end soon with the surrender of Hamas. May we wake up from this bizzaro world and return to one of sanity where, in the words of the Reverend Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.:

“I have a dream that my four little children will one day live in a nation where they will not be judged by the color of their skin but by the content of their character.”

The great Dr. King. We need him now more than ever.

Right now, our nation and the world is getting a failing grade on the content of our character. And I fear for our future.

Watching the Hamas video from October 7, 2023

Posted on by Keith Dvorchik

As a passionate Zionist who has been to Israel 20 times, October 7, 2023 impacted me greatly.  I have family and friends that live in Israel, some who live in the south.  Luckily, none of my friends who live in the south were attacked by the terrorists although family of friends were at K’far Aza, and I have since met somebody from Moshav Ein Habasor who was there on October 7th.  An Israeli friend from one of my Momentum trips lost his son on October 7th.  Another friend’s cousin and her 13-year-old daughter were hostages taken by Hamas into Gaza (both have since been released, although at separate times).  I have friends who are now on the front lines in Gaza and in the north.  I have friends whose children are currently serving in the IDF and fighting the war with Hamas.  I am in daily contact with friends and family in Israel, checking in on them and making sure they are ok.  Israel and October 7th is very personal for me.  So, when I heard that the Israel Consulate in Florida was hosting briefings and showing the 47-minute video of the Hamas atrocities around the State of Florida, I knew we had to do it in Central Florida.  I reached out to the consulate, and we scheduled it for Thursday December 14, 2023 at 9 am.

Our target was legislators, media, law enforcement, University Presidents, local Rabbis, and targeted community members.  Our local state representatives showed up, law enforcement showed, and the targeted community members showed.  We had some media but no University Presidents.  The nearly 40 people in attendance were a good cross section of our targeted audience.

I was apprehensive about watching the video.  I had read plenty about it and knew it was going to be awful.  A true representation of people’s inhumanity to people.  I also knew that for me, I had an obligation to bear witness to what Hamas terrorists did and owed it to the victims to watch.  As the video started, the room was eerily silent.  This silence continued through the entire video.

I don’t want to get into the details of the entire video.  Others have done that.  For me, there were a few things that struck me deep and will remain with me forever. 

I want to warn you that these are graphic descriptions.

The Hamas terrorist calling his parents to brag about having killed “10” or “at least 10” Jews.  The excitement in his voice was bone chilling.  Yet, for me, what was worse was listening to his mother’s response.  “Kill, Kill, Kill” is what she told him.  This was a recording made by Hamas to document the excitement of murdering Jews.

The Hamas terrorist, reporting to his superior, about the Jews that he had decapitated.  He brags about cutting off their heads and shooting them in the head.  And the Hamas supervisor telling him to bring the heads back to Gaza so they could ‘play with them’.  Another recording made by Hamas.

The dog at a Kibbutz – you see him in the distance barking and running towards the terrorists.  You know what is going to happen before it does.  And then it does – the terrorist shoots the dog three times, killing it. 

A father and his two sons racing through their house in their underwear to get to the safe room ahead of the terrorists.  They get there but the Hamas terrorists throw a grenade into the room before they can shut the door.  The father jumps on the grenade to save his sons, sacrificing himself in the process.  The children are taken by Hamas back to the kitchen where the Hamas terrorist opens the fridge, takes a drink, then grabs a bottle of Diet Coke and starts drinking it.  The boys are distraught.  One has lost the vision in one eye and as you look closely you can see it is clearly damaged.  They cry for their father who they know is dead.  And they wail, “why am I still alive?”.  They end up being left alone and run away.  Their sadness and cries are something I will never forget.

A dead Israeli lies on the floor while a Hamas terrorist take a hoe and tries to decapitate him.  His body bounces with each blow towards his neck.  The terrorist gives up as it’s not happening easily.  The hoe hitting his head and neck and his body bouncing is something I will always remember.

Watching a Hamas video as the terrorist takes a knife to the neck of a dead IDF soldier and begins to carve away, finally removing the soldier’s head from his body.  You see him slice through the neck.  You see the graphic detail of a beheading.  Then, holding it by the top of his helmet, he walks out of the room, leaving the headless body lying on the floor.

Hamas terrorists bringing dead Israeli bodies back to Gaza.  The Gazan people in the streets celebrating as the bodies are rolled into the street.  The people of Gaza kicking and punching the dead bodies of Israelis, spitting on them.  The cheers and joy in their faces as they assault the dead bodies of Israeli citizens.  The pure hatred coming from the people of Gaza, the ‘innocent civilians’, as they celebrate the murder of Israeli citizens. 

The Hamas terrorists capture a room full of women.  The video cuts to the women being led out of the room, clearly after a period of time.  As you watch their reactions, you can tell that they were abused.  Some can’t look up.  Some have blood on their pants in the crotch and their backside.  We were later told by the consulate that there are graphic rape scenes that out of respect for the women, are not shown or included in the video.  Hearing that made watching these women even more painful.

IDF soldiers going into a home in a Kibbutz.  As they enter, the floor is covered in blood.  The walls are splattered with blood.  The deeper they go into the house, the more blood that is on the floor.  It’s literally a red floor painted with blood.  Huge pools in some places.  The brutality that must have occurred for that much blood to be in the entire house.

A number of houses where the bodies were burned beyond recognition, some mainly being ash.  Some decapitated and then burned.  Some barely recognizable as human.  And the sheer number of them that were burned alive. 

The desperation in the voices of the responders to the music festival massacre as they arrive and try to see if anybody is alive there.  As they walk through, they call ‘is anybody there’ and get no reply.  They begin by counting the number of dead people and reporting it but they stop quickly as there simply are too many dead bodies.  “Everybody on the stage is dead” they report. “Everybody in the concessions is dead” they report.  The camera shows the massive number of dead bodies that were massacred by the Hamas terrorists while they were at a music festival.  I had seen the video before but never heard the desperation in the voices of those responding to the massacre. 

The faces of the terrorists after each person they murder.  The smiles.  The joy.  The happiness.  Once proclaims, “This is my first kill!” with such joy and excitement it burned inside me.  I’ll never forget the faces of the terrorists and the joy they had in murdering Jews.  The celebration.  The clear rush of adrenaline they had and their desire to kill more and more and more.  I don’t like to hate.  It’s a powerful and negative emotion that only causes harm, however with each of these faces I found myself hating them, wanting them to be hunted down like the animals they showed themselves to be.  It’s not who I am yet it is who they are.

The video was 47 minutes long and there were 35-40 people in the room.  It was completely silent for the entire 47 minutes.  Watching the footage was difficult and painful.  It tore at my insides.  I found myself clenching my teeth throughout much of it as the anger and sadness and pain overwhelmed me. 

I’m still processing what I watched.  I’m still processing the horrors of the Hamas terrorists.  I know there is a sadness and hole inside me because of October 7th that after seeing it is bigger than it was before.  The urge to do something and make a difference is far greater than it was just 12 hours ago. 

Hamas is evil.  And we must fight evil with everything that we have.  If we allow evil to live, it only grows, it never dies of its own accord.  War is terrible and nobody wants it, however Hamas must be eliminated.  The evil that was done on October 7th is just the beginning if we don’t stop it now.  The leadership of Hamas have told us this directly.  Watching this video showed just how evil they are and that we need to believe them when they say they will do what they did on October 7th over and over and over and over again.  And that they will bring it to Europe, America, and Canada. 

The sacrifice of the father, the faces and cries of his sons, the faces of the women captured by Hamas, and the joy on the faces of these evil men will never leave me. 

Am Yisrael Chai