I stand with Israel today and everyday ?? ????? ??

While I typically avoid posting about political topics on LinkedIn, those of us who anxiously await updates on this weekend's tragedies understand this is not a matter of politics, but rather a sheer act of inhumanity. The tragic events that took place on October 7, 2023, the 50th anniversary of the Yom Kippur War, have left me deeply saddened.

As a high school student, I attended a trip called March of the Living, an international educational program that revolves around a march from Auschwitz to Birkenau, honoring those who survived and remembering those who perished. As a participant, I was fortunate to spend one week in Poland, followed by one week in Israel with other Jewish teens from Toronto. Through meaningful conversations with Holocaust survivors and learning about the historic sites we visited, I realized that despite the darkest days of Jewish history, we are, and always have been, ignited by the power of people, love for each other, and resilience against evil. This notion rings true today.

Like most other Jewish people right now, I share a personal connection to the situation in Israel, with my friends and family living in central Tel Aviv and my cousins serving on the frontlines. The grief I am feeling is not unique; since the horrific events unfolded on social media and across news outlets, Jewish people EVERYWHERE have been affected by Hamases terrorism; whether they know someone who has been taken hostage in Gaza, murdered at a music festival for Peace, slain while sleeping in their beds on the Sabbath, raped, kidnapped, or called to combat, Jewish people everywhere have been affected by Hamases terrorism. Israeli President Isaac Herzog addressed the terrorist attack saying that "not since the Holocaust have so many Jews been murdered in one day; not since the Holocaust have we witnessed Jewish women and children, grandparents — even Holocaust survivors — being pushed into trucks and taken captive."

To those who are comfortable in their silence because these realities are not happening near us, look around. Hamas supporters called for the public to “Gas the Jews” outside the Sydney Opera House; University of Wisconsin students were praising terrorism at campus rallies chanting "Glory to the murders;" and one Hamas leader announced the date of the 'worldwide Jewish pogrom' on October 13th, asking supporters to repeat the horrific actions of Hamas against Jewish people all over the world. It is the same intimidation tactics employed by the Nazi regime during the second world war; yet, time and time again, history has shown us that our resilience will prevail.

To my non-Jewish friends who have personally reached out sending prayers or expressed support online, we see you and we will not forget you. In the coming days, when Israel, with a heavy heart, does what any country would, the media will shift; please don't look away and remind yourself why this started in the first place.

Amid all the speeches given by world leaders, there was a quote in Joe Biden's remarks that stuck with me since I heard it. "Don't worry Senator Biden," Biden recalled Golda Meir's words when visiting Israel 50 years ago. "We have a secret weapon here in Israel — we have nowhere else to go."

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