On Oct. 7, 2023, vicious Hamas terrorists invaded Israel, murdered nearly 1,200 innocent Israelis, and took 251 people hostage — approximately 50 of whom remain captive. Hamas targeted defenseless civilians as it slaughtered entire families and scorched their homes, raped women, and attacked a music festival. On this somber anniversary, we mourn the fallen and demand the release of all remaining hostages.
What should have been a unified condemnation of these war crimes was shattered by pro-Hamas, antisemitic rallies on college campuses. Many university administrators simply looked the other way while Jewish students were harassed, mocked, and intimidated. In one of the most brazen acts of violence, two Israeli Embassy staffers, Yaron Lischinsky and Sarah Milgrim, were murdered in May of this year after leaving an event at the Capital Jewish Museum in Washington, D.C. Acts of antisemitism have skyrocketed, especially on college campuses. An estimated 3.5 million Jewish Americans have experienced antisemitism since Oct. 7. This is unacceptable.
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GRIFTING AT SEA. WHO FLOATS GAZA’S BOAT?
That’s why organizations such as Iowans Supporting Israel have been bringing people together to denounce antisemitism and stress the importance of an ironclad U.S.-Israel relationship. In fact, on Oct. 12, Iowans Supporting Israel is hosting Yoni Diller, a survivor of Hamas’s attack on the Nova festival, to share his unthinkable experience in the face of pure evil. Standing with incredible people like Yoni, we will never waver in our support for our Israeli allies and our Jewish friends, family, and neighbors.
We have also traveled to Israel on several occasions, both before and after Oct. 7. It is heart-wrenching to see the aftermath of the carnage at the Nova festival and the charred remains of entire towns where innocent Israelis were slaughtered in their homes, some in front of their families. It is the responsibility of Iowans, Americans, and the international community never to forget those who died that day.
DEMOCRATIC PARTY CALL FOR DISARMAMENT WOULD LEAVE ISRAEL DEFENSELESS
At the federal level, the Trump administration has not turned a blind eye to the horrors of Oct. 7. By demanding the release of all remaining hostages in Hamas’s captivity and obliterating Iran’s nuclear facilities, the Trump administration has advanced peace through strength and stands shoulder to shoulder with Israel. It has supported funding appropriated by Congress for Israel’s Iron Dome missile defense system. President Donald Trump even authorized investigations into antisemitism on campuses so Jewish students can go to class without being targeted by those espousing hateful ideologies.
We mourn the innocent lives lost two years ago and demand the immediate release of all hostages. Let us honor the memory of those who died by recommitting ourselves on a regular basis to condemning antisemitism wherever it rears its ugly head. We call on all Iowans to continue to stand with Israel in defense of the values that make our state a natural and unwavering ally of Israel and the Jewish people.
Randy Feenstra represents Iowa’s 4th Congressional District in the U.S. House of Representatives. Charles Schneider is co-chairman of Iowans Supporting Israel.