The Blogs: Light In the Midst of Darkness

These are dark times for the Jewish People. In a single day, a matter of hours, over 1,000 Jews – men, women, children, babies, and grandparents were brutally tortured, raped and slaughtered and 150 were taken captive by murderous terrorists. Why? “Simply” because they were Jews living in our homeland Israel. Never since the Holocaust have so many Jews been slaughtered in a single day. Never since 1945 has the world witnessed such a vicious pogrom. Indeed, it is a very dark time for Jews the world over. Indeed, it is a very dark time for humanity as a whole.

And yet, in the midst of this darkness, there are flickers of light. I have personally seen these flickers of light from the very moment the news began to spread of this horrific massacre. They have come from non-Jewish friends, colleagues, and associates who have reached out to me in a continuous stream of emails, texts and social media messages to express their concern, support, outrage, and sympathies.

These individuals deserve praise, and their messages deserve mention for they represent a shared determination that good prevail over evil. They demonstrate that we do not stand alone; that well- meaning people all over the world support the Jewish People in this extraordinary time of need.

The following are just some of the messages which I have received.

I know today is a holiday and you won’t get this until sundown, but I hope to the extent you have relatives, friends etc. in Israel that everyone is ok.
Just wanted to let you know that I’ve been thinking of you this week. I hope you and your family are safe and well.
Praying for safety for everyone
Good morning checking you and your family in Israel horrifying news coming from Israel. You are in our prayers.
We are horrified at what happened to Israel over the weekend. We know this is a tough time for Jews around the world, and we are thinking of you and your family.
We send our love and prayers for peace in Israel.
I hope your family is safe and well in Israel.
I’m several days late in reaching out to you but I want you to know that I have been and will continue to pray for Israelis and my Jewish friends everywhere. These attacks have broken my heart and made me sick at the pure evil that they represent. I hope that you, your family, and friends are safe. May God bless Israel in this incredibly difficult time. Sending my deepest sympathies,

With G-d’s help, the courage and strength of our brave soldiers, the unity of the Jewish People, and the support of well-meaning people like those who have reached out to me, we will defeat the evil Hamas and restore peace and tranquility to the land of Israel.