Billed as a community rally and emergency fund collection for Israel, the Jewish Federation of Northeastern New York sponsored a two-hour event packed with speeches and singing by rabbis and cantors from nine congregations in a five-county region, along with three service agencies.
While several spiritual leaders from the Chabad Lubavitch organization throughout the Capital District were in the audience, the shluchim did not participate in the evening’s event, which would have involved appearing on stage with female rabbis and cantors.
Attending the event from the political arena were Congressman Paul Tonko (D – Amsterdam), Governor Kathy Hochul, Albany area Assemblymembers Patricia Fahy (D – Albany), Phillip Steck (D – Colonie) and John McDonald (D – Cohoes). There were no state senators in attendance. Neither of New York’s U. S. senators, Majority Leader Charles Schumer, or Kirsten Gillibrand, who lives in the Albany area, attended the event.
“Just as we speak with whispered tones about what families and people still living among us endured during the Holocaust, it is a black mark. It hurts. People are afraid. People still haven’t heard from their loved ones yet. They don’t know if they’re hostages,” a visibly upset Hochul told the crowd of more than 200 attendees.
“We will fight to make sure that that peace is restored, that the terrorists know that they’ll find no comfort here – not in this state, not in this country. They’ll be called out. Yes, there will be a war. But it’ll be a just war, because it’s an attack on babies, children, grandmas, and teenagers at a concert, that will never, ever be forgotten. You hold a candle high, so it can be seen across the world to know that we are with Israel.”
Dr. Stephen Berk, a history professor at Schenectady-based Union College and a long-time scholar-in-residence for the Jewish Federation of Northeastern New York, framed his remarks with questions and then answered his own questions.
“Why did it take place? Because Hamas is a genocidal organization. From the time of its founding in 1988, its charter called for the destruction of the state of Israel,” Berk said. “It has been helped in its attempt to destroy the state of Israel by another country that wants to destroy the Jewish state and that is the Islamic Republic of Iran. There is a digital clock in Tehran that counts down minute by minute from the year 2040 because, according to the Islamic Republic, Israel has to be destroyed before 2040.”
Berk listed several additional reasons for Israel being caught off guard when the bombing began on Shabbat, Simchat Torah. “When all of this is over, there is going to be an Israeli commission to ask the tough questions,” he said.
“Why did it happen now? The answer is probably because of a growing bond between Saudi Arabia and Israel. That’s probably what the bombing is designed to do. To torpedo those negotiations and possibly to undermine the Abraham Accords,” Berk said. “Why wasn’t Israel prepared for this? Where was the vaunted Mossad? Supposedly the best intelligence organization in the world. Where was the Central Intelligence Agency? Where were all of those spy satellites? All of the cybersecurity, all of those intercepts. Where were they? I cannot answer that. That’s for the commission. I would suspect that part of the problem was misfocusing by the Israelis. That is, concern of what was happening inside the country because of the urban unrest and really focusing on the West Bank because that’s where so much of the terror had come from.”
Berk had another theory about the Israeli’s lack of focus on defense.
“This is Israeli hubris. Did the Israelis feel they were invincible? Did they feel that Hamas was weak, incapable, lacking courage? That was a mistake. One must give the devil its due. Hamas showed its ingenuity of courage and blood-thirstiness that the Israelis never banked upon,” Berk said. “What must Israel do? That’s a difficult question to answer. The first thing I will say is what Abraham Lincoln said before the Civil War. It applies not only to the United States but to Israel herself: A house divided against itself cannot stand. Israel has to put its political house in order.”
Berk also pointed out there are forceful and diplomatic approaches, but first a couple of additional questions need to be examined.
“What do you do with Hamas? What do you do with Gaza? Do you go in and take it?” Berk queried. “I’m not a military man but I talked to many military people. Israel can take Gaza. It could always take Gaza. It will cost the lives of hundreds of Israelis. It’s Israel and Israelis that will die. Israeli blood and Israeli lives are at stake. The best solution is a negotiated solution. I do not know if that is going to happen. It will be a miracle if most of those hostages come out alive. Israel has to defend itself as any country would. Let Israel do what has to be done,” Berk concluded. That sentence was met with an enthusiastic round of applause from the audience.
Berk ended his remarks on a positive note.
“What should Jewish-Americans and the supporters of Israel do? Be a supporter of Israel. You must be an emissary on behalf of the state of Israel. It means that one has to have the courage and the knowledge to defend and to advocate on behalf of Israel. It’s no easy trick. Never, never forget,” Berk said as a bit of encouragement. “Although the war started poorly, Israel is going to win. Israel will be triumphant. Israel will win because the Israel Defense Forces has once again shown itself to be one of the best armies on the planet.”
Tonko, an Amsterdam Democrat from the Mohawk Valley, was visibly upset when he delivered his powerful remarks.
“Witnessing the torture of young children, teenagers at a dance, individuals dragged from their homes, beaten and destroyed, left lifeless in front of their loved ones. What a torturous scenario. What a powerful statement of hate. How it can destroy, suffocate life,” Tonko said. “Many people, hundreds, are held hostage from a few months of age to Holocaust survivors in the elderly column. A painful thought. An atrocious thought. The count of those deceased is nearing one thousand and 2500 growing of those injured, and history repeating itself. Hate is guiding the forces of evil that deeply penetrate into our freedoms, our way of life, our opportunity and our strength.”
Tonko also said the United States will continue to fund the Israeli war effort.
“The United States has committed to giving Israel $3.3 billion per year through 2028. We acknowledge with the Iron Dome situation that additional assistance would be made available through a partnership that should not be denied. A partnership that is respected and regarded as vital – democracies bear responsibility to speak out forcefully for justice and to cherish what we hold in common, the opportunity for religious freedom. I will stand with this nation and her leaders who support Israel and we go forward and make certain that this acknowledgment of such atrocity, of such hate, of such darkness is not allowed to continue,” Tonko said.
“Let’s do everything we can in a diplomatic way to release the hostages and join in solidarity that in this moment of darkness with the people of faith, of sound values, of strength of character, is a ray that shines upon us based on faith, of prayer and trust in a force greater than us that will get us through these difficult moments that we work through our democracy to make sure we stand tall and ready to assist Israel.”
