The Gaza War: The Worldwide Battle for Light

The Hamas Massacre on October 7 has led to worldwide uproar. Millions have rallied to support Hamas and the Gazans. Millions have railed against Hamas and in support of Israel.

The distinction between these opposing camps is very clear. One stands for good and the other stands for evil. One stands for bringing light to the world and the other stands for darkness.

I don’t even feel the need to address the sadistic and worse than animalistic actions done by the Hamas monsters during their massacre. It is obvious that this evil and darkness stands in great contrast to the IDF which doesn’t rape women, behead babies, and take hostages.

Rather I want to focus on these two camps: civilians all around the world who are pro-Israel in contrast to those who are pro-Hamas.

The pro-Hamas camp’s tone is vitriolic and violent, while the pro-Israel camp’s tone is peaceful and positive.

Since the start of the war, I have been using my social media platforms to try to inspire and celebrate our choosing life.  I have not focused on the gory details of the massacre. Some of my posts were circulated in pro-Hamas circles, leading to a barrage of messages from these Israel haters.

The following are just a few examples of thousands of messages that I have received. I can’t quote the massive numbers that are filled with curse words and curses that cannot be repeated. But these samples provide a taste for the hate and venomous rhetoric being spewed by the pro-Hamas camp.

“Zionist pigs. If I got one of you Zionist Jews, I’m gonna skin them alive.”

“If I meet you I will kill you first.”

“You Israeli people are trash. I hope the Holocaust happens again.”

“You bastard. All Muslims are Hamas. We are coming to destroy Israel.”

“Bloody Dov Lipman. One day inshallah I will come to Israel to destroy you.”

“We will live to kill you until the end of our lives. God rest your soul Hitler.”

“Good Jewish is dead Jewish.”

“I hope all Jews gonna die soon. Cancer of the Earth.”

“You will get your head cut off in the center of Tel Aviv with a rusty old knife.”

“I wish Hitler did a better job with you germs.”

Thousands of messages along these lines. These are the people who want peace? These are the people who care about the Palestinians? No! These people and all those demonstrating on behalf of Hamas and Gazans worldwide are violent and evil people who want one thing: Dead Jews and the annihilation of Israel.

This shouldn’t surprise anyone. The Hamas charter is clear. It’s preamble states:

“Israel will exist and will continue to exist until Islam will obliterate it, just as it obliterated others before it.”

Article 7 declares:

“Day of Judgment will not come about until Moslems fight Jews and kill them. Then, the Jews will hide behind rocks and trees, and the rocks and trees will cry out: ‘O Moslem, there is a Jew hiding behind me, come and kill him.’”

And Article 13 outright rejects making peace with Israel:

“[Peace] initiatives, and so-called peaceful solutions and international conferences are in contradiction to the principles of the Islamic Resistance Movement… Those conferences are no more than a means to appoint the infidels as arbitrators in the lands of Islam… There is no solution for the Palestinian problem except by Jihad. Initiatives, proposals and international conferences are but a waste of time, an exercise in futility.”

War. Violence. Vitriol. Hate. Evil. Darkness.

From the Hamas murderers to those demonstrating for them worldwide and fighting their Jihad on line.

This, in stark contrast to the Israeli Declaration of Independence which states:

“We appeal- in the very midst of the onslaught launched against us now for months – to the Arab inhabitants of the State of Israel to preserve peace and participate in the upbuilding of the State on the basis of full and equal citizenship and due representation in all its provisional and permanent institutions.

We extend our hand to all neighboring states and their peoples in an offer of peace and good neighborliness, and appeal to them to establish bonds of cooperation and mutual help with the sovereign Jewish people settled in its own land. The State of Israel is prepared to do its share in a common effort for the advancement of the entire Middle East.”

Peace. Diplomacy. Cooperation. Kindness. Good. Light.

This spreads to the entire pro-Israel camp. Among the victims of the Hamas Massacre are Chaim Peri, 79-years-old, and Ofir Libstein, 50-years-old. Chaim chose to use his retirement to bring peace and love into the world. Every day he would go to the Gaza border to pick up Gazans who were ill to drive them for treatment in Israeli hospitals. Hamas terrorists captured Chaim on October 7 and took him into Gaza as a hostage.

Ofir was the head of the Sha’ar Hanegev Regional Council. Among his plans was a massive industrial zone near the Gaza border to be able to employ 10,000 Gazans. Hamas terrorists murdered Ofir on October 7.

The outpouring of kindness that has come from the pro-Israel community since the beginning of the war has been overwhelming. My organization, Yad L’Olim, has been inundated with requests from supporters of Israel worldwide who want to help. It has been especially inspirational to see the desire to help the families of them victims.

This is our ethos. This is what it means to represent good and light.

The third verse of the Bible states: “God said, ‘Let there be light,’ and there was light.”

Hasidic master, Rabbi Yitzchak Levi of Berditchev (18th century Ukraine) taught that the verse can be read differently. We, as human beings who seek a world of goodness and kindness beg and pray, “God, let there be light.” And then God, upon seeing our deep yearning for light reacts to our prayers and “there is light” – the light we so desperately seek and need comes to the world.

May we in the pro-Israel camp continue to recognize that we represent good, right, and light. May God bless us civilians to have the moral clarity, courage, and fortitude to stand up together against the violent anti-Israel camp worldwide, may He bless our brave soldiers with success and victory with the total destruction of Hamas and freedom for the hostages, and may we be blessed to enter a peaceful period of history in which our light shines away all the darkness.