Shortly after concluding her remarks during a live virtual briefing about the crisis in Israel, Sigal Ariely, director of The Associated’s Baltimore-Ashkelon Partnership, suddenly reappeared on screens to apologize for her imminent departure.
“Sorry, there’s a siren,” said Ariely, a longtime Ashkelon resident whose family home was destroyed by Hamas rocket fire in May of 2021. “I need to go. Bye!”
The moment — which came in the middle of the briefing presented Wednesday afternoon, Oct. 11, by The Associated: Jewish Federation of Baltimore — dramatically illustrated the fluid situation on the ground in Israel in the wake of the Hamas attack that began last Saturday morning, Oct. 7.
“Today is an opportunity to let you know what is going on in Israel and give the Baltimore community a glimpse into how we’re acting,” said Associated President Marc B. Terrill. “Keep the people of Israel in your thoughts and prayers, but most importantly act. Baltimore has to act and stand up. We must be strong and unified for the people of Israel.”
Yehuda Neuberger, The Associated’s chairman of the board, echoed that sentiment. “Even though we’re thousands of miles away, we are reaching out [to Israel] and sending our support and love and dollars,” he said.
During her segment, Ariely talked about life currently in Ashkelon, a southern coastal city located eight miles north of Gaza. (Ashkelon and Baltimore have been partner communities since 2003.)
“We woke up to rockets and sirens [on Oct. 7] and had to run back and forth to shelters and safe rooms,” she said. “Yesterday, we heard there were four terrorists with a drone literally running through the streets of Ashkelon. After they were killed, we heard another guy coming from Gaza by sea was killed. I can’t describe the level of stress here.”
Although she and fellow Ashkelon residents are long used to rockets fired from Gaza, Ariely said the most recent crisis “was different. We heard the news and we all know people who live near the Gaza border. This touches everyone in Israel, but particularly in Ashkelon.”
At this time, Ariely said Asheklon residents primarily live in shelters or safe rooms. But their lives are enhanced, she emphasized, thanks to donations from Baltimoreans of items such as food, helmets, emergency lights, mobile devices and even children’s toys.
Most importantly, Ariely said messages of moral support from the Jewish community here have inspired Ashkelon residents.
“People tell me they got a message [from a Baltimorean] to make sure they’re OK, and it means a lot,” she said. “It makes us feel we are not alone, and to be alone in a war of this scale no one can do. … Thank you for everything you do for us, for calling us and emailing and asking what we need. We do not take it for granted for a moment. I hope soon we’ll all be safe in our beautiful city and country.”
During his remarks, Eliav Benjamin, deputy chief of mission at the Embassy of Israel in Washington, D.C., said he was also grateful for the support from American Jewry as well as the U.S. government.
“It means so much and carries a big weight,” he said. “All of this has brought the Jewish people and Israel together. It sends a message to Israel’s enemies as well. This [conflict] is not something Israel chose, but we’ll do everything in our power to deal with Hamas and, if necessary, the force from the north [at the Lebanese border]. We say, ‘Ein li eretz acheret,’ I have no other country. This is true. It is still incomprehensible you could have such a pogrom of Jews in a Jewish country. But we are together, working shoulder to shoulder with others.
“Thank you for everything you’re doing,” he said, “and please have our backs in the weeks to come.”
In his role as chair of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, Sen. Benjamin L. Cardin (D-Maryland) said he is working closely with the Biden administration and legislators from both sides of the aisle to support Israel “in our words and deeds.” Such actions include Iron Dome reinforcements, munitions, tactical strategizing and a bipartisan resolution calling for support for Israel during the crisis.
In addition, he said he is working hard to encourage support from strategic partners around the world — including Turkey, Qatar, Saudi Arabia and the Palestinian authority — in discouraging Hezbollah, Syria and Iran from “taking advantage of the [current] situation.”
Cardin also said the hostages taken by Hamas remain a top priority to the U.S. government. “We have to work hard everyday to bring them home,” he said.
Another top priority is keeping alive the Biden administration’s hopes for a potential peace accord between Israel and Saudi Arabia, Cardin said. “It could be a game-changer,” he said
“We’re all still in a state of shock by this sheer evil,” said Cardin. “It is unspeakable what Hamas did, and these horrors have to be answered. We will do whatever we can to help Israel move forward, and we have to make sure Hamas is held accountable for their actions. There will be difficult days ahead, but we understand Israel’s security needs and that they have to destroy Hamas.”
Offering his political analysis of the situation, David Makovsky, distinguished fellow at The Washington Institute and director of the Koret Project on Arab-Israel Relations, said the Hamas invasion represented the third largest terrorist attack in the world since 1970. He also noted that more Israelis died in the attack last weekend than in all of the sporadic intifadas, or Palestinian uprisings, over the decades.
Makovsky characterized President Joe Biden as “crystal clear” in his support for Israel, particularly by sending the USS Gerald R. Ford aircraft carrier to the Eastern Mediterranean Sea as “a signal to Iran and Hezbollah not to start a second front. … We’re living in extraordinary times.”
Terrill called on Baltimore Jews to remain informed about events in the Middle East and to contribute to The Associated’s emergency fund for Israel.
“We’re putting the money to action right away,” he said. “Money is needed, and we’re transferring it several times a day.”
But Terrill also requested moral support for Israelis at this time, whether it’s posting statements of solidarity on social media or displaying an Israeli flag outside of one’s home.
“If you know Israelis or people connected to Israel, reach out to them,” he said. “A kind word or hug goes a long way. Keep the people of Israel in your thoughts and prayers.”
The Baltimore Jewish Council, an agency of The Associated, is encouraging people to attend the “Stand With Israel” rally on Friday, Oct. 13 at 12:15 p.m. at Freedom Plaza, 14th Street and Pennsylvania Avenue in Washington, D.C., Northwest. The rally is being coordinated by the Jewish Community Relations Council of Greater Washington and Jewish Federation of Greater Washington. For information, visit, jcouncil.org/
A former resident of Baltimore and central Florida, Ritt was active in the Soviet Jewry movement of the 1970s and 1980s.
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