'Very bad and very depressing': Local Jewish community reacts to conflict raging in Israel

WORCESTER — “Very bad and very depressing.”

That is Hod Porat's assessment of the conflict raging between Israel and Palestinian militants in the Gaza strip. Porat spent a few weeks years ago in Worcester and today she lives in Israel, where she can hear blasts overhead from Israel's Iron Dome air defense system as it takes out rockets fired from the Gaza Strip.

“We’re so worried,” said Porat by phone Monday from Kfar Vitkin in central Israel, after her country declared war against Hamas after Saturday’s attack by militants that reportedly killed more than 900 Israelis.

More than 600 Palestinians have been killed, according to authorities, as Israel pounds Gaza with retaliatory air strikes.

More: Israel orders 'complete siege' of Gaza; was Iran involved in Hamas attacks? Live updates

Porat worked at a summer camp at the Worcester Jewish Community Center in 1992, an experience arranged by the Jewish Federation of Central Massachusetts. Now, Porat is thankful her home is many miles from the Israel/Gaza border, but she recognizes that peace is elusive.

“There is no hope in the near future for something peaceful,” she said, adding that her two older children, both born in the U.S., work as intelligence officials in the Israeli army.

“I’m concerned for them, especially now,” she said.

Her 14-year-old daughter, Gali, has no school because classes are on hold while the conflict grips the region. But as a sign of resilience, her daughter and friends are packing up items to send to troops and families living on the Gaza border.

"No family has been unaffected from what is happening,” said Porat. “We’re trying our best to keep morale. ... We're in a bad situation and we don’t know where it’s going.”

Palestinian rights & two-state solution

Yasir Najjar, a former president and board member at the Worcester Islamic Center, condemned the violence and death of innocent civilians, called for its immediate end and said the root cause of the conflict is the "ignorance of the rights of Palestinians for living in peace and dignity in their own homeland."

A two-state solution must be imposed by the world community, said Najjar.

"As a Muslim community with many people of Palestinian heritage our hearts are with those innocent people under occupation and under severe blockade since 2007," said Najjar's statement. "Let the people live in dignity. We pray to God to give them relief from the occupation, oppression and humiliation they suffer everyday as a result of the occupation."

The statement continued: "Loss of life and property everywhere is regretted and should be avoided as much as possible but the root cause of the violence is the occupation and oppression of the Palestinian people. We call on our Government both State and Federal to be fair in their handling of the situation and take the leadership to resolve the Palestinian problem once and for all. It is time for the free world to support the human rights for all the world population; especially the oppressed ones."

'Exceptionally dark day'

Steven Schimmel of the Jewish Federation of Central Massachusetts called the outbreak of conflict an “exceptionally dark day."

“It’s unprecedented in our lifetime," he said. "In fact, there were more Jews killed in a single day [Saturday] than any other time since the end of the Holocaust.”

Priority number one, according to Schimmel, is to rescue the hostages taken by Gaza militants: "All of us have friends and family in Israel. It’s similar to 9-11 or Pearl Harbor. The severity can’t be stressed enough. All of us feel personally impacted.”

As for next steps, Schimmel believes it’s impossible for Hamas to continue its control of Gaza if there is ever to be peace in the region. He noted the Hamas charter that calls for the elimination of Israel and the targeting of Jews worldwide.

"That organization makes peace unlikely, basically impossible. ... We want to see a future where the Middle East is a region of peace and prosperity. This weekend’s events are a stark reminder that we are far away from that.”

Be cautious: Too soon for answers

As with any regional conflict, it's important to be cautious about what is known and what isn't, said Ora Szekely, associate professor of political science at Clark University.

Szekely has conducted research across the Middle East, and stressed that, "There are a lot moving parts. It's important to really be extremely cautious until you have good evidence for the complicated internal dynamics in the region."

As Szekely sees it, we don't yet know the level of Iran's involvement and there is a lack of solid information about internal conversations within Hamas. Its political leadership is largely outside Gaza, while its armed wing is based inside the Gaza strip, she said.

Some political wing of Hamas must have known in advance about Saturday's attack, said Szekely, but it's unclear who planned it. Going forward, the conflict hinges on what conversations inside Hamas will look like, but that won't be easy because Szekely called it an "opaque" organization. Another difficulty is divisions within the Israeli government.

As for possible outcomes, Szekely said civilian casualties in Gaza will increase and so will the humanitarian crisis. On the Israel side, she said, "Obviously, the consequences have been pretty terrible," but the division within the country's political system makes it hard to predict which way the country will go.

Despite the complexities, Szekely remains optimistic the sides can work out their differences.

"One the one hand, this recent eruption is one in a long-running conflict. It's true that narratives on both sides have a long history of conflict. But this conflict is not fundamentally any more mysterious or impossible to resolve than any other conflict in the world.

"Remember these are human beings like anywhere else in the world and remember that maybe gives us a better chance to understand the perspectives of anybody involved."

News from Israel: 'Horrifying'

“Devastating” is the word Rabbi Valerie Cohen at Worcester’s Temple Emanuel Sinai used to describe the developments unfolding in the Middle East.

“The loss of life, the terror brought into Israel, the disregard for life. The stories coming out of Israel are horrifying,” she said.

Israel's minister of defense ordered the complete siege of Gaza. Electricity, food and water are cut off to the region. Cohen believes Israel's response should mirror how the U.S. military would respond if U.S. citizens were attacked on American soil.

“Israel should react the same way the U.S. would to protect its citizens. I’m lucky I don’t have to make that decision. It’s up to those who live in Israel and run the country.”

Worcester resident Lewis Lasky is concerned about friends and extended family living in Israel. Lasky has lived in Worcester for more than 50 years and said what Hamas, Hezbollah, Iran and others want is to "wipe the Jewish state off the map."

"Israel is not the aggressor," said Lasky. "Our backs are against the wall. We have suffered murder, rape, abduction, torture. Eventually it's time to say to the one doing it, 'Enough, I'm going to fight back.'"

Rabbi Mendel Fogelman of Chabad Lubavitch of Central Massachusetts said, “We’re not looking for peace today. No cease fires.”

Fogelman's organization plans to hold a prayer vigil for Israel at 4 p.m. Tuesday at Chabad's Worcester location at 22 Newton Ave. Chabad is also taking contributions to help Israeli victims and soldiers.

Contact Henry Schwan at henry.schwan@telegram.com. Follow him on X: @henrytelegram.

This article originally appeared on Telegram & Gazette: Local Jewish community reacts to conflict raging in Israel