MILWAUKEE — As more than 1,000 people have reportedly died in the ongoing conflict between Israel and Hamas militants from the Gaza Strip, Wisconsin-based organizations are closely monitoring the situation.
Milwaukee Jewish Federation President Miriam Rosenzweig says anyone can help support Israelites, both abroad and at home.
“Everybody knows someone that’s affected. Just coming out and recognizing that this was a terrorist act against civilians is the first step. The humanitarian need is going to be tremendous, and the rebuilding will not just be on the infrastructure, but on the psychology of the people.”
Rosenzweig says the attacks on Israel are not just a typical military operation and that anyone, Jewish or not, should be concerned by Hamas’s kidnappings.
“There’s no question: Hamas is a terrorist organization. It’s Iran-backed. It launched its attack to wipe Israel off the face of the earth,” Rosenzweig said. “They weren’t kidnapping soldiers, they were kidnapping those going to a rave in the desert…and that should be concerning to everybody.”
The Federation is planning a community solidarity gathering on Monday evening at the Congregation Shalom in Fox Point. Jewish Community Center President and CEO Mark Shapiro was on Wisconsin’s Morning News Monday to both encourage the community to attend the event and also explain why this attack is different from the many others that have plagued the region for decades.
“This one is a complete and total terrorist attack,” Shapiro told WTMJ. “We have to call it what it is, and I think that’s the challenge and where you’re seeing some of the frustration from community leaders. When the language is about a war, war is between two countries where there are rules of engagement. This was a terrorist attack.”
Some have called this attack on Israel the equivalent of September 11th, 2001 in the United States. Shapiro says the idea of simply using diplomacy to end the conflict is not a reasonable ask.
“I want us to try and imagine what it would be like all of a sudden Canada were to just decide on one day in the middle of the summer to cross the border and go into all of northern Wisconsin…and just started shooting rockets in and grabbing Americans and pulling them across the border. Would the United States de-escalate and use diplomacy? Or would they react and try to get their citizens back?”
Meanwhile, UW-Milwaukee Students of Justice in Palestine President Jamilah Arabiyat told TMJ4 News the American Muslims for Palestine group is planning a rally on Sunday in Chicago. Arabiyat said the SJP is not currently planning any demonstrations in Milwaukee.
A “Free Palestine” rally will accompany an Indigenous People’s Day event at the George Floyd mural on Holton and North in Milwaukee this evening.
WTMJ has reached out to the U.S. Palestinian Community Network to learn more about how the U.S. Palestinian community is reacting to the conflict.
