The Bible identifies a person who sees something important as a witness. That same person “bears witness” to an event by sharing what they have seen with others.
I recently traveled to Israel as part of a group mission with the intent to bear witness to the tragic events of October 7, 2023. I was forewarned that I would witness a nation in trauma.
The barbarity that occurred on October 7th is the worst catastrophe in Israel’s modern history. The numbers speak for themselves. In a country with a population of about 9 million people, approximately 1,200 people were brutally killed. Consider the Nova Music Festival that took place in the Negev over that weekend. Can you imagine going to enjoy a peaceful weekend of music that turns out to be a civilian massacre in which 1 in 10 are gunned down and 1 in a 100 are taken hostage?
But numbers belie the stories of human tragedy. Every Israeli knows the personal story of each of the hostages, as they pray and strive for their safe return. In this tiny country, everyone is connected to a family that is reeling from the loss of a loved one or the pain from a family member being held hostage.
More so, the undeniable evil perpetrated against Israeli civilians deeply pains everyone. In the kibbutzim located in the south, Hamas terrorists discriminately targeted homes with children, raped innocent women and burned family members alive. At Kibbutz Nachal Oz, terrorists sought to ruin the country’s agricultural ecosystem system by blowing up farm tractors and destroying irrigation lines. In Israel, when you hurt one, you hurt all.
But we must stand against the evil and terror of Hamas. After Israel made the decision to leave Gaza in 2005, Hamas too had a choice. As one commentator writes, societies in the Middle East are defined by what they decide to do between wars. Israel chose to invest in a robust start-up and technology focused economy; Hamas invested billions of dollars of foreign aid in building 400 miles of tunnels and munitions stations below hospitals and schools.
To my surprise, I also witnessed something much larger than the trauma that remains omnipresent. Even as Israelis strive to memorialize those who perished on October 7th and perpetually spotlight the fate of the Israeli hostages in Gaza and even as 17 year old kids attend more funerals than anyone should ever witness, many good things are happening. The country is imbued with a sense of resilience and hope that is truly inspiring. Israelis seek to rebuild their country in the spirit of the country’s national anthem Hatikvah, which stands for “hope”.
Undeterred by a government largely overwhelmed with its focus on Gaza, the nonprofit and civilian aid organization Brothers and Sisters has assumed control of many of the domestic functions of Israeli civil society, including the provision of food, education and housing for the largest refugee population in the history of the country. Nova organizers have transformed the festival into a community focused on healing and doing good. Leaders at Nachal Oz are rebuilding the agricultural ecosystem with a goal of harvesting every inch of land up to the border with Gaza.
Citizens refuse to be mired in the past. “We did not choose October 7 but we choose life. We are not helpless – we get to decide what to do – and we choose to grow stronger. This is our time and responsibility to become better,” one inspiring regional coordinator told us. “We can’t lose hope. We must focus on the 95% that is good as opposed to the 5% that is bad because otherwise the 5% becomes 100%.”
In the face of such unrelenting spirit, Israelis still argue vociferously about their politics and their future. But a sense of unity is clear: Israelis want all the hostages returned and a peaceful existence with Gaza and the Palestinians without the threatening presence of Hamas. Indeed, one can simultaneously be pro-Israel and pro-Palestinian and recognize that innocent Palestinians are also suffering.
In the end, as I bear witness, my hope is that the savagery of October 7th will be defined not by the power of guns but the strength of the human spirit.
Eric J. Gertler is Executive Chairman and CEO of U.S.News & World Report.
