Hamas Threatened My Family
“If someone comes to kill you, rise up and kill him”
On October 7, 2023, Hamas launched the worst attack on Israel in the history of the modern state. It was the longest 48 hours of my life.
One of my children was attending school in Israel for a year before returning for college in the U.S.
Because it was the Jewish Sabbath and also a major holiday on the Jewish calendar, my child’s phone was off when the Hamas attack took place; I had to wait two days to learn my kid was safe. Many Jews who celebrate the Sabbath and holidays turn off electronics to focus on more spiritual things. Friends. Family. Words of wisdom. All without normal weekday distractions.
Finally we spoke after the end of the holiday. Thankfully, my child was safe and unharmed.
Calmly, bravely, my kid told me how they had to go into bomb shelters twice, and how they heard fighter jets over the house where they were staying.
It was all I could do not to become hysterical.
As one rabbi wrote, “To write anything about this right now is extremely difficult. To write nothing is impossible.”
When news hit that the terrorist group Hamas, which is funded by Iran, had infiltrated Israel, I knew this time was different.
