Michael Balaban’s Update on the War in Israel

January 12, 2024

– Michael Balaban
President & CEO of the Jewish Federation of Greater Philadelphia

This Sunday marks 100 days that the Israeli hostages have been held in Gaza. One hundred days of fear, starvation, terror, and the uncertainty if they’ll ever see their loved ones again.

This morning, American Jews stood with the Hostages and Missing Families Forum in front of the United Nations building in New York City to demand their release. On Sunday, Israeli businesses will hold a 100-minute strike in solidarity with those still in captivity. At the same time, members of the Greater Philadelphia community will join together for a car rally at the Belmont Plateau at 10 a.m. to raise awareness of the 100 days.

Earlier this week, Hamas released a video clip of four of these hostages – Agam Berger, Liri Elbag, Daniela Gilboa and Karina Ariev – all teenage girls with bloodied faces and restrained arms. Through stories from released hostages and ongoing investigations, the indisputable facts are clear – sexual violence, rape, torture and desecration were committed by Hamas on Oct. 7.

As a husband, a father, a member of the Jewish community and a human being, I am sickened by these reports of the horrific brutality against Israeli women. These are both war crimes and crimes against humanity, and must be called out as such.

On Wednesday, the Jewish Federation’s Women of Vision group joined 58 other Jewish organizations around the country to send a letter to the Secretary General of the United Nations calling for an independent, unbiased investigation into Hamas’ gender-based violence and murder of Israeli women and girls on Oct. 7 and the prosecution of these war crimes to the fullest extent. This is the second letter to the United Nations our Women of Vision group has signed onto decrying Hamas’ rape of Israeli women as a human rights abuse.

Yesterday, instead of focusing on the horrors these women endured, the United Nations International Court of Justice investigated South Africa’s false claims that Israel is subjecting Palestininans to genocidal acts – even though Palestinian populations have surged over the years, the antithesis of genocide. Today – yet again – Israel must defend itself against these baseless allegations, with the support of thousands marching through the Hague to protest these hearings.

Tonight, as I welcome in Shabbat, I will say three extra prayers. One of safe return for those still being held in Gaza. One of refuah schlema – healing of mind and body – for those who have been released from captivity and the IDF soldiers injured defending the Jewish homeland, such as “Fauda” actor Idan Amedi who was wounded this week. And one of Mourner’s Kaddish for those whose names we may never know, whose stories we may never hear, but whose memories will live on in all of us.

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