Milwaukee Jewish, Palestinian leaders react to Israel's war with Hamas in Gaza

Local leaders of faith-based organizations are closely watching developments from Israel and Gaza following a massive, coordinated, surprise attack by Hamas militants on several Israeli towns.

Israel declared war in retaliation and has vowed a complete siege of Gaza, a narrow strip of Palestinian territory with over two million residents.

About 1,500 people were dead as of Monday, including 800 Israelis and about 680 Palestinians. Thousands have been injured, and Hamas said it is holding about 130 Israeli soldiers and civilians hostage. Eleven Americans were among the dead.

Leaders of Milwaukee's Jewish and Muslim communities spoke out in strong terms Monday. Miryam Rosenzweig, president and chief executive officer of the Milwaukee Jewish Federation, said the community was horrified and there is no justification for violence against civilians.

Janan Najeeb, president of the Milwaukee Muslim Women's Coalition, emphasized the challenges of living in Palestinian territories and characterized Israel as an oppressor of Palestinians.

More: 33 people from 2 Kenosha Catholic parishes on trip to Israel made it out safely

More: Israel orders 'complete siege' of Gaza; at least 9 Americans killed: Live updates

Miryam Rosenzweig, president of the Milwaukee Jewish Federation

Rosenzweig leads the Milwaukee Jewish Federation, the umbrella organization for local Jewish organizations. She has two sisters in Israel and lived there for a time as well.

Members of the local Jewish community have been glued to the news since Saturday, she said, feeling "very sad and horrified and traumatized."

Rosenzweig said at first she couldn't believe the images she was seeing of Israeli civilians being kidnapped and trucks of Hamas militants driving through Israeli towns.

"We are shocked at the significant pain and the brazen terrorism at one of the most tragic massacres and events to happen in Israel's history," she said. "We just don't condemn it, we are appalled."

Rosenzweig said it was "extremely disconcerting" to see some people who have celebrated Hamas's attack and "used it as an excuse to push a political narrative."

"There's no child, there's no civilian, that deserves the kind of treatment that they have had over the last three days," she said.

Rosenzweig said that while the suffering of Palestinians should be acknowledged, it can't be an used to excuse or justify the attack on Israel.

"This was a terrorist attack on civilians to inflict the most damage and pain," she said. "Terrorism is never justified."

The wide-scale violence also reminds the local Jewish community of "horrific moments in Jewish history," she said, sparking concern for the future of Israel and the Jewish people. Still, she said, the Israeli national anthem, Hatikvah, speaks of hope.

"To stand with Israel is to have hope and to know that Israel will win this war, and secure the state, and secure its people," she said, "and that the devastation that has been caused both physically and emotionally is going to be the real work that’s going to come."

Janan Najeeb, president of the Milwaukee Muslim Women's Coalition

Najeeb, a prominent Muslim leader in Milwaukee, was born in the West Bank and came to the U.S. as a young child. Her mother, who resides there, said she has heard Israeli planes overhead "nonstop" as they head to Gaza to drop bombs.

She said that Palestinians have been "constantly killed and oppressed" and the war stems from decades of oppression by Israel.

"Israel is one of the last remaining colonizing countries that is brutally ruling over indigenous populations,” Najeeb said.

She compared Gaza residents and Israel to the Biblical story of David and Goliath. Reports indicate that Hamas militants used hang gliders, motorbikes and other means to enter Israeli border towns, bypassing the border fence and other security measures.

"You don't have a war against an occupied people that don't have a single airplane, that don't have a single tank... against the fourth-largest nuclear power in the world," she said.

She criticized Israel for cutting off water, food and electricity to Gaza since the war began, saying it amounted to "ethnic cleansing." Gaza is an "open-air prison" and residents couldn't flee when the bombing began, she said.

Najeeb also slammed the U.S. government for its ongoing military assistance to Israel. The Biden administration said it is fulfilling Israeli requests for aid and is moving multiple warships, jets and an aircraft carrier closer to Israel in a sign of support.

"Rather than use this opportunity to demand that human rights and the ending of apartheid on Palestinians takes place... our administration chooses to go and send more military equipment to continue the violence," she said.

As of Monday morning, Najeeb had heard of two Milwaukee men whose relatives in Gaza had been killed. One lost his sister and another lost his cousin. Both were civilians, she said.

"We mourn the lives of every Israeli and every Palestinian because every life is equal, and every human deserves the right to live in peace and in dignity," Najeeb said.

Milwaukee-area faith groups react

Other local faith leaders issued statements in response to the war.

As Milwaukee Archbishop Jerome Listecki asked people to pray for peace, word came that 33 people from two Kenosha Catholic parishes had made it out of Israel and were safe in Jordan. The group was on a pilgrimage to Christian holy sites in and around Israel, including Nazareth and Bethlehem. Listecki said:

“I’m asking all Catholics and people of goodwill to join me in praying for an end to the violence in Israel, for the souls of all those who have been killed, and for their families. We are also praying for the safe return of those who are in the area on pilgrimages to the Holy Land, including some from Archdiocese of Milwaukee parishes.”

Rabbi Joshua Herman, executive director of Hillel Milwaukee, said the organization for local Jewish college students was planning several events for students to gather for support and to learn about what is happening. He also said the organization is in touch with the Milwaukee Jewish Federation, the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee Police Department and campus administrators to "ensure the safety of our facility, staff and students."

Herman's statement reads in part:

"We at Hillel Milwaukee are saddened and horrified at the events unfolding in Israel. We have staff and students who have friends and relatives in harm’s way, and our focus is on supporting those members of our community who are hurting and ensuring the physical and emotional wellbeing of our students. ...

"We pray for the safe return of all those who have gone missing and been taken captive, and for strength for everyone in our community as we stand in solidarity with our friends and family in Israel during this unprecedented time."

Jessica Rodriguez and Kelly Meyerhofer of the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel contributed to this report.

This article originally appeared on Milwaukee Journal Sentinel: Milwaukee Jewish, Palestinian leaders react to Israel's war in Gaza