As a Jewish person living in a free country, safety should not be a worry. But terrorist organizations like Hamas serve as a constant reminder that peace remains elusive and peace of mind is not always guaranteed. In 1948, Israel was declared a free country and recognized by the United Nations, yet there has been an almost 80-year war over the land they live on. My family will always remember the Holocaust, and even though the Nazis were defeated, the world continues to prove that there are still evil people who hate Jewish people solely for their religious beliefs. Anti-semitism is very real, and the recent horrific and senseless attacks carried out against Israel only further prove that point. 

Hamas — an organization with the goal of taking down Israel — has continued to launch unprovoked attacks on Israel. All they want is for the country of Israel to be destroyed. These terrorists have killed innocent citizens, including babies and the elderly. They are also kidnapping and holding these innocent citizens hostage. They are preventing power, water, and electricity for two million people just because of the remaining 59 hostages.

I sometimes tremble with fear when I simply go to pray at temple. When I celebrate a Jewish holiday or joyous event, I should feel happiness, instead, I feel nervous that a senseless anti-Semitic act of violence could happen at any moment. Those nerves and the constant need to have my guard up hit very close to home due to what's been happening in Israel. On October 7th, hearing the news of the brutal attack, I immediately thought of my family in Israel and the fear and anxiety they must feel. The barbaric killing of innocent men, women and children makes me utterly disgusted with the state of the world. 

Animosity over disputed land should be worked out politically, not violently. In this world, things do not always work out in our favor or do not always seem fair. I am a firm believer that every option to peacefully work out our differences should be explored. The attack Israel is continuously suffering from will not lead to the end of the conflict but instead fan the flames, perhaps putting us back generations in finding solutions to century-old problems.

The former prime minister of Israel, Golda Meir “If the Palestinians put down their weapons today, there would be peace. If Israel put down their weapons, there would be no more Israel.”

The violence the world saw in Israel on October 7th seemed to come from nowhere. It was an atrocity made purely to shock and terrify people. Israel’s suffering is just another tick mark on a conflict dating back thousands of years. I keep asking myself, why?

The fact that Israel has had to put up with fighting wars since its creation is heartbreaking. The violence and hate against Jewish people is not new in the world, as we are history’s constant scapegoat. But in modern times the archaic fight just looks like ancient tactics that have not gotten results throughout history. It is bothersome to even think that this is a war, a war is two countries fighting, not one country attacking an innocent one. This is terrorism defined.

The organizations that Israel has to defend itself against are fighting because they think that they deserve the land of Israel, claiming it was theirs to begin with. They reject a two-state solution, where both sides can compromise to live in peace. I look at Hamas and other terrorist organizations and wonder when enough is enough. The citizens’ lives are just getting worse in Gaza with Hamas in control. This conflict has no winner, there is only death, destruction and hatred. 

There is one thing that I will never forget. Israel and Jewish people have persisted through worse and we will persevere once again. Eventually, evil organizations like Hamas will cease to exist. Eventually, there will be peace on Earth. And eventually, I will not have to worry about my family’s safety. 

John F. Kennedy said in 1960, “Israel was not created in order to disappear — Israel will endure and flourish. It can neither be broken by adversity nor demoralized by success. It carries the shield of democracy and honors the sword of freedom.” Kennedy could not be more right. Israel will continue to fight and will continue to win. Israel will live on.

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