Five months ago I traveled to Israel for the opening of the Museum of Tolerance in Jerusalem and subsequently wrote these words describing Israel\u2019s time of need: \u201csurrounded by deadly enemies, principally Iran and its proxies who play the leading role in funding terrorists who attempt to kill Israelis and disrupt Israeli life on a daily basis.\u201d<\/p>\n
Those words haunted me on what should have been a joyous day \u2014 my son\u2019s wedding. On Saturday morning, prepared for the celebration, I woke up to the horrific news of Israel being attacked by Hamas terrorists.<\/p>\n
While in Israel, I had visited the Western Wall to pray for peace and the health and welfare of my friends and family. The Western Wall is one of the four supporting walls of the Temple Mount still standing since the destruction of the Second Temple and dates back to 20 BCE. For me, like generations of Jews, the Western Wall is a source of inspiration and prayer.<\/p>\n
I purchased two Star of David necklaces from the daughter of Holocaust survivors in the Old City of Jerusalem as a wedding gift for my son and his fianc\u00e9e.<\/p>\n
The Star of David is a symbol of the nation of Israel and the identity of the Jewish people. During the Holocaust, the Nazis forced Jews to wear identifiers such as armbands and badges in the shape of a yellow Star of David as they murdered six million Jews, one million of which were children.<\/p>\n
Last Thursday, I gave the necklaces to my son and his fianc\u00e9e so that they could wear them proudly on their upcoming wedding day and remember their roots.<\/p>\n
Then tragedy struck.<\/p>\n
Not since the Holocaust have so many Jews been killed in one day. One Israeli Defense Forces spokesperson using an analogy we can understand, said the attack could be \u201ca 9\/11 and Pearl Harbor wrapped into one.\u201d But that doesn\u2019t even begin to capture the appalling devastation.<\/p>\n
The Hamas terrorist incursion was a parade of war crimes and atrocities. The first accounts are harrowing.<\/p>\n
Hamas murdered at least 40 babies, some of whom were beheaded.<\/p>\n
Hamas went door-to-door and gunned down innocent families in cold blood. They killed children first, then their parents, forcing them to witness the horror. A victim interviewed by CNN said he and others were gassed by Hamas just as the Nazis did during the Holocaust.<\/p>\n
Hamas terrorists raped and murdered women, some women were also beheaded.<\/p>\n