I have been lunching regularly with my local Rabbi here in Florida since 2017 when I joined his synagogue. I enjoy his company and find him a particularly good sounding board for personal issues, but today’s lunch was not about me. I was curious to hear his thoughts on the events of October 7th, when Hamas terrorists drove into Israel to murder 1400 people before taking over 200 hostages. The Rabbi said his temple congregants had responded by providing assistance to Israel –some had donated ambulances to replace the ones hijacked by Hamas after killing the drivers who were rushing to aid the victims of the attack. He talked about of the resilience of the Israeli people and how we in the United States must overcome the feelings of inadequacy in seeing such a horrific attack from afar, and that we must resist the tendency to compare what happened in Israel to the Holocaust of World War II. He spoke of a recent ceremony at his temple during which scrolls hidden from the Nazis were brought out in a celebration of truth, having survived the war. I asked him about the resurgence of anti-Semitism. His response was that, in his view, social media has been a principal culprit in pushing the rhetoric forward and giving “permission” to the obvious agitators. “People will say things on social media that they will not say to your face.” I said I was troubled for the future of my children and grandchildren, but the Rabbi was optimistic. “I don’t see current anti-Semitism as comparable to Germany during the 1930s and 1940s. It is bad, but not as bad as some think.” His words were calming and left me feeling less anxious about the disturbing current events. We talked about news propaganda coming out of Gaza perpetrated by Hamas showing Israel bombing hospitals. My prayers are with the families devastated in Israel, yet I cannot help but feel empathy for the one and a half million children in Gaza. Like the rest of the world, I await proof that Hamas in fact hides under hospitals.
