by Emily Kay
When a good friend asked me how I was the day after Hamas terrorists invaded Israel and tortured, massacred, raped, and kidnapped thousands of Jewish husbands, wives, sisters, brothers, grandparents, and babies, I replied, “I’m well — considering everything.”
We are not well.
The truth is — considering everything — I am not well. I am devastated, horrified, terrified, and enraged, as are so many of my Jewish and non-Jewish friends. We go about our days — working, organizing to save our fragile democracy, playing pickleball, and essentially carrying on as if life were normal and terrorists had not just perpetrated the deadliest day for Jews since the Holocaust.
There is, however, nothing about our daily lives that is normal now. We are grieving the loss of so many whom the antisemitic terrorists have slaughtered. Because they were Jewish.
Let that sink in as we witness the brutal murder of a French schoolteacher at the hands of a pro-Palestinian zealot. As temples and synagogues around the country beef up security, and college campuses roil with antisemitic fever. As antisemites around the world celebrate the slaughters and blame Israel for the attack. Meanwhile, we await the next murders of human beings killed due to their religion and/or heritage. Because there will always be more bloodshed for Jews.
Hamas terrorism is pure hate and cruelty against Jews.
President Biden perfectly characterized the death and destruction that Hamas barbarians rained down upon Israel.
“This attack was a campaign of pure cruelty — not just hate, but pure cruelty — against the Jewish people,” Biden told Jewish leaders at the White House.
“This attack has brought to the surface the painful memories and scars left by a millennium of antisemitism and genocide against the Jewish people,” Biden said. “We have to be crystal clear: There is no justification for terrorism, no excuse and the type of terrorism that was exhibited here is just beyond the pale, beyond the pale.”
Resist evil: Take positive actions.
Rather than despairing or looking away, we can all channel our grief, outrage, and empathy into small positive actions that push back against the hate and cruelty.
Support Israelis.
Please consider donating to Dror Israel, whose mission is to “build a caring, just, shared society in Israel through…innovative education based on dialogue and understanding.” To meet immediate needs, Dror Israel:
- Supports evacuees with daycare and programs for seriously traumatized children and families who have been evacuated from Gaza border communities
- Runs therapeutic and educational programs for children in underprivileged communities
- Provides daycare for children of hospital workers and other essential staff
- Supports children and families sheltering in place
Protest against hate.
You can organize or join anti-hate rallies and walks, like the inspiring event that ADL New England and Congregation Beth Elohi sponsored on October 15. A diverse group of 500 folks walked through the streets of Acton on a gorgeous New England fall day waving Israeli flags, sporting signs, and chanting, “No fear, no hate!”
The walk ended at a community park, where we listened to music and heard State Rep. Simon Cataldo movingly explain how his Judaism motivates his relentless efforts to end antisemitism and all forms of hate and bigotry.
Support the Jewish people in your life.
On a personal level, please reach out to your Jewish colleagues and friends to reassure us that you stand with us during this time of anguish and grief. A supportive email, text, phone call, or hug means a great deal.
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