As I’m sure most of you know, this past weekend, the terrorist organization Hamas attacked Israel during Re’im, a music festival in southern Israel, infiltrating the Gaza border on land and sea, and firing several rockets into Israel. For most of us, this hits very close to home. At this point, at least 900 have been murdered, 2,600 injured, and 150 kidnapped. Needless to say, Israel needs support from others to take control back from Hamas and honor those who have passed.
Organizations to support:
What We Can Do From Afar:
What we can do from afar is much harder to answer, because it feels like we are just watching this go down. Personally, I have not only dealt with grief, but also a serious feeling of powerlessness. It is so frustrating to have to sit and watch when so many are continuing to be murdered for what seems like no reason at all. Overall, from what I have been seeing, these causes primarily need money to support Israelis and the IDF. Those of us outside Israel do not have much effect on what is going on, but what we can do is support and advocate. Continue to use Instagram and all other social media platforms to advocate for the state of Israel, do not let people forget what is going on, but it is not worth our time to fight with those who don’t agree online. While just sending money and posting on social media does not feel like enough, it is all we are able to do right now, and these actions are what will help.
Unfortunately, Israel is at war, and that is not something we can change, but as Jewish teens, we must rise to the occasion and work to provide support and aid to those who are in desperate need of it. This phrase has been stuck in my head since I heard the news: עַם יִשְׂרָאֵל חַי - The People of Israel Live.
Abby Thaler is a BBG living in Freehold, New Jersey, and she loves sparkling strawberry guava celsius.
All views expressed on content written for The Shofar represent the opinions and thoughts of the individual authors. The author biography represents the author at the time in which they were in BBYO.