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IDAHO FALLS – The leader of a Jewish congregation in Idaho says it’s a time of great concern following Saturday’s attack on Israel.
The death toll on both sides soars to about 1,500 Tuesday since the surprise weekend attack by Gaza militants on a major Jewish holiday. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu officially declared war on Gaza in a video message shortly after the initial shots were fired.
Rabbi Mendel Lifshitz with Chabad-Lubavitch of Idaho, a Jewish outreach organization in Boise, tells EastIdahoNews.com he has multiple family members living in Israel who are 15-20 miles away from the raging hostilities.
“My daughter was in central Israel when this all broke out. She’s currently in northern Israel, and is, thank God, unharmed. She’s had to leave her apartment and move into another building where there’s a bomb shelter so she can be safe,” Lifshitz says.
Lifshitz was unaware of the attacks for several hours because of the holiday. When he finally heard the news, he immediately contacted his daughter.
“I didn’t hear from her for over 24 hours until finally we were able to get word that she was safe,” he says.
His brother lives there as well, who he says is also unharmed.
About 700 families in his congregation are affected. Some of them are Israeli and have ties to the middle eastern country. It’s not clear how many Jews live in eastern Idaho or how many are impacted.
Lifshitz estimates there are several hundred Jews on this side of the state and it’s a frightening situation for everyone involved.
“I have congregants who have children serving in the Israel Defense Force,” he says. “It’s not like Israel is unaccustomed to challenges, but this is on a brand new scale that is unprecedented.”
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Israel and Hamas have been involved in armed conflict dating back to 1987 during the First Palestinian Intifada, or uprising, against Israel’s occupation of the Gaza Strip and the West Bank.
A plume of smoke rises in the sky over Gaza City during an Israeli airstrike on Monday. | Mahmud Hams/AFP/Getty Images via CNN
Israel captured Gaza, a Palestinian enclave on the eastern coast of the Mediterranean Sea, from Egypt in 1967. Tensions between Israel and the Palestinians have existed since before the nation’s founding in 1948. The territory, home to over 2 million Palestinians, fell under Hamas’ control in 2007 after a brief civil war.
Before Saturday’s operation, the last war between Hamas and Israel was in 2021. It lasted for 11 days and killed at least 250 people in Gaza and 13 in Israel.
“It’s no coincidence that Saturday’s attack occurred exactly 50 years after the Yom Kippur war, which was also a war instigated on a Jewish holiday, the holiest day of the year,” says Lifshitz.
The interrupted holiday on Saturday was Simchat Torah, which means “the joy of the Torah.” It’s a yearly celebration that commemorates their completion of reading the first five books of Moses in the Bible. It’s festive and joyful and typically includes dancing, Lifshitz says.
“It’s obvious that this (attack) was intended to disrupt that great joy,” he says.
Lifshitz says every American should be deeply concerned about what’s going on because Israel is one of the nation’s strongest allies.
He’s grateful for the outpouring of phone calls over the last several days expressing support and offering assistance.
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His hope is that “light prevails over darkness and that goodness wins out in the face of bald-headed evil.”
“The bond between America and Israel is solid, and it will continue to be that way,” he says. “We just pray that this (conflict) comes to a swift, peaceful resolution.”
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English (United States) ·