LOUISVILLE, Ky. — Israel is at war. Three days into the conflict with Hamas, hundreds of people have been killed, thousands are injured. In Louisville, members of the Jewish community are still processing what’s happened.
“Absolute horror and shock,” Matt Golden with the Jewish Community Relations Council said.
Golden adds they are still figuring out how to best help people who’ve been affected, both here and abroad.
“People in Israel are contacting us,” Golden explained. “People in our community are trying to understand how we can come together as a community, how we can take a moment and help. So that’s really what we’re focused on right now.”
With many people having close ties to Israel, Golden says his community is dealing with the grief caused by the war.
“We’re really trying to think how we can help in this moment in a very small way, on a very, very big problem,” Golden said.
Over the weekend, the Kentucky-Israel Caucus released a statement of support for Israel. The caucus is led by State Rep. Daniel Grossberg, D-Louisville, who is the only Jewish member of the House. Grossberg provided this statement to Spectrum News on the conflict.
What we have just witnessed - the coordinated invasion of Israel by land, sea, and air and the murder, rape, torture and kidnapping of thousands of civilians for no crime other than being born Jewish - may be the single greatest act of terrorism of our lifetimes. The last time the Jewish people faced such horrors on a scale so great, we called it The Holocaust. And when we the Jewish people said “Never Again!”, we meant it.
Anyone who fails to condemn such acts against civilians by a globally-recognized terrorist group, whatever shortcomings and failings we may perceive in the Israeli Government, isn’t supporting Palestinian liberation - they are just endorsing genocide, plain and simple. These are crimes against humanity with a depravity the world has not seen before. Israel has not only the right to respond, but, by international law, the obligation to do so.
When the dust settles, I still pray for a future where Israelis and Palestinians can live in peace. However, that cannot happen when one of the parties does not acknowledge the others’ basic humanity or right to exist and instead calls for its genocide. Israel is promising an end to Hamas - not of the Palestinian people. For everyone’s sake, Israeli and Palestinian, Jew and Arab alike, this cannot come soon enough.
The caucus is made up of members from both chambers of the legislature and is bipartisan.
State Rep. Ken Fleming, R-Louisville, says they “stand behind Israel 100%.”
Fleming says it’s now time to help the people of Israel in any way they can.
“As far as we can get together and incrementally increase our are our thoughts and our statements, it’s going to help out and strengthen our message out there,” Fleming said. “Not only here locally in Louisville, but also in the Commonwealth and really also in the United States.”
This support, Golden says, is much appreciated.
“It feels good to know that there’s people out there that understand the issue, which is key and are willing to support in this time of war,” Golden said.
On Tuesday evening, various Jewish organizations will host an event to show solidarity with Israel. It is at the Trager Family Jewish Community Center in Louisville. The event begins at 6:30 p.m. Guests are encouraged to arrive early.