You must see what happened in Israel

By Vicki Wax, guest columnist

I just returned from a two-week fact-finding trip to Israel. I am a mother, grandmother, teacher, community volunteer, and someone who is empathetic and works with facts.

I have watched the war that began on October 7th with disbelief that humanity could be so barbaric. I have read so many news stories, seen so many interviews, met senators, US representatives, reporters and anyone who can tell the truth. The worst stories have come from survivors and hostage families, many of whom are still in shock and grief.

I didn’t understand the victim blaming and eventually had to see for myself what was happening.

I traveled with two friends and 40 strangers, all with the same desire to know the truth, on a trip organized by the nonprofit educational organization Stand With Us.

The first two days in beautiful Tel Aviv felt completely normal. We walked everywhere, ate at sidewalk cafes, saw Jews, Muslims, all ethnicities shopping, playing sports, eating, living. My brain had a hard time understanding the difference between that and what is always shown on TV. On the second night, we went to the hostage square to stand with families waiting for the release of their loved ones. Although it was very crowded because there were many speakers, the crowd was orderly.

That calm feeling ended when we drove an hour and a half south on the fourth day and arrived in hell. There are no words to describe the feelings that filled my stomach, my heart, my head and every fiber of my being. We visited only two of the communities that became graveyards early on October 7th, communities that looked like neighborhoods in the Poconos or any other beautiful neighborhood here that were completely destroyed and bodies massacred.

One community, Kfar Aza, had 950 inhabitants. Now only two are ready to return. Hundreds of terrorists rampaged, murdering 80 people and kidnapping 19.

Many in this community thought they had friends and workers in Gaza. They thought they were building a society of mutual respect and cooperation. They urged the Israeli government to ease restrictions at the border, and recently 22,000 Gazans were working in Israel for good wages.

The shock of what happened is palpable. The last words of Israeli soldier and peace activist Naama Levy, heard on video by Hamas attackers with her face covered in blood, were: “I have friends in Palestine.” We met first responders who will never get over the torture they witnessed. We saw the total destruction of houses covered in graffiti. We stood in front of the peace mosaic on the Israeli side in Nativ HaAsara, the closest community to the Gaza border, where 20 people were murdered.

From there we drove to the Nova Festival site, which is now a huge cemetery. There are photos of the 399 young people who died just because they wanted to enjoy music.

It’s so hard to understand.

We spent time at a rehabilitation center, at Mount Herzl Cemetery to pay our respects, and at a volunteer-run food distribution center; and we met doctors, therapists, President Isaac Herzog, former Prime Minister Naftali Bennett, Jerusalem Deputy Mayor Fleur Hassan-Nahoum, Knesset Speaker Amir Ohana, and many ordinary Israelis, Jews and Arabs.

Everyone wants the release of the hostages, a way to restore trust, an end to the mass hatred that has been stoked in Palestinian Authority textbooks for generations, and simply wants to dream of a normal life that would benefit everyone.

Israelis have no problem expressing their opinions, protesting, gathering and giving lectures. No one is arrested unless they commit a misdemeanor. Right now, the whole country is suffering from post-traumatic stress disorder. Rockets are constantly being fired from Gaza, sirens are sounding, you have three to 15 seconds to seek shelter and pray that the Iron Dome air defense system works. All the communities in southern Israel are empty and families are staying in hotels.

In the north, Hezbollah is firing rockets, driving 80,000 people from their homes. This is not a normal life.

Despite everything, Israel is a miracle.

It is overwhelming to see what has been built in just 76 years after we have lived through so many wars. Everywhere we went, people thanked us for coming, flew our flag, and were worried about America. None of us felt afraid even once. In fact, many said they felt safer in Israel than on a college campus in America.

There is a complete lack of education about the Middle East in our country, which is rewriting history and truth. I urge you not to sit in the comfort of your own home, watch TV or read biased news and tell Israelis how to live and protect themselves. You have no idea. Find a way to go and find out for yourself. That is the only way to understand the truth.

Vicki Wax is a resident of Salisbury Township.