A Jewish leader in Bloomington-Normal is offering a message of inclusion as war rages on in Gaza.
Rabbi Rebecca Dubowe is the spiritual leader of Moses Montefiore Temple in Bloomington. She has family in Israel she communicates with regularly. She says her family is resilient as the war rages on, and they also want peace.
She spoke to WGLT's Sound Ideas on Monday, the one-year anniversary of the Oct. 7 attacks by Hamas.
This transcript has been lightly edited for clarity and length
Dubowe: I'm deeply saddened. In fact, it's not, it's not over. It continues, too much suffering and happening, and we've lost so many people, and it had not stopped.
WGLT: Have there been any observances locally in the year after, or any planned?
We got together last night with the Champaign-Urbana Jewish community, because we are so small here in town that we wanted to unite with other Jewish communities. So yes, there was a full house out there, and we participated, and we reflected on all of those people who were killed and slaughtered on that day of Oct. 7 last year. We mentioned their names, and we also sent prayer and hoping that those that are being held hostage will be returned safely. But it was certainly a memorial service that we were able to do together.
This coming weekend, we are in observing divine high holy days, especially of the Day of Atonement, and on that day, as we always do, we have a memorial service. And there we will mention and recognize the many lives that had been lost, not only those of Israelis, but also Palestinians and people from all over the world that are just simply dying only because of being who they are.
Do you, or does anyone here in the Jewish community have any direct connections with people living in Israel currently, or have since left?
Yes, I have cousins and family that live in Israel. We have several people, one who was born and raised in Israel and has been living here for quite some time. But yes, there are quite a few of us that do have friends and family that live in Israel at this time.
Are you still able to stay in close contact with a family?
Absolutely, on a weekly basis, I send a text on WhatsApp and say, ‘How are you doing, and that we're thinking of you.’ Because the most important thing that we can do, especially for those that are not living there, is to let them know that they are not alone. And we've also have made effort to reach out to people who have family, perhaps that are Palestinian or non-Jewish people that live there, and we've been able to check on some of them as well.
How is your family doing?
They are very resilient. They truly want peace. They are hanging in there. They believe that many people, including their neighbors, want to sit at the table and find a way to live together.
As you indicated, this still rages on. A year later, there are Israeli hostages still in captivity. It has spread to Lebanon. Iran is involved now. How much do the Israeli people fear for their safety?
There is always that constant fear. But as I said, many people that live in Israel are fearless and are really determined to find a way that they can live in peace with their neighbors.
Do you foresee that happening as this goes a year later and continues to spread?
It's very difficult to look in a crystal ball. But there are too many people, including Hamas and others, that are considered the enemies of our people. They simply want to get rid of all the Jews, and it's hard to see it, to see what's going to happen, but we do know that as a result of what has happened, the rise of antisemitism has increased so much that there are more and more people living here in America that are misinformed and not really understanding that the people that live in Israel simply want to live in peace with their neighbors.
Is there anything that you wish Israel would do differently in this war?
Let's put it this way, Israel will always be a part of my heart, but like a loving parent, sometimes I don't like the choices that my children make. So too, those choices that Israel had made, especially for the government they don't represent everybody in that country.
We can say the same thing about America. We may be proud to be an American, but we may not always like what our government decides to do.
So, I hope and pray that the government of Israel will find a way to bring the hostages home, do a ceasefire so that we — those who want to, the Palestinians, Americans, the Jews, the Muslim — we can all again and again, roll up our sleeves, sit down at the table and create a path for peace.
