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Hamas’ surprise Oct. 7 attack claimed over 1,400 Israeli lives and has been called the worst day for the Jewish people since the Holocaust. The subsequent Israeli siege and bombing of Gaza, which has now killed over 10,000 Palestinians, unleashed a storm of arguments across the internet and around the world.
Straight Arrow News contributor Ruben Navarrette asserts that amidst this flood of news and opinions dominating the conversation on Gaza over the past month, Oct. 7 seems to have become a distant memory. Navarrette says to never forget Oct. 7 and emphasizes the importance of being “a good friend” to the Jewish community.
I’ve been to Israel, thanks to the generosity of a group called America’s Voices in Israel. I went with a small group of Latino journalists. And the trip, as promised, changed my life. I have friends in the Holy Land. I know their lives are completely different than they were before the attacks. I also have, here in the United States, Orthodox Jewish friends who have family in Israel, whose lives were, I’m sure, turned upside down last month. Finally, I have Jewish friends who don’t seem to identify with being Jewish.
As a non-Jew, I see Oct. 7 as a test, and I want to pass the test. That’s what I told a family friend who invited my wife, daughter, and I to share the Shabbat meal with her family and friends just two weeks after the attack, when emotions were still frayed. “I feel like I’m being tested,” I told her. “It’s difficult for me to know what to say to my Jewish friends, who I know are in great pain and looking at me to say something. Should I [just] offer condolences? That doesn’t sound right.”
