The world is collapsing due to a flood of evil

Earlier in the day, Hersh and I met a friend in Jerusalem: the giddy message of a Palestinian protester

I wept this morning receiving messages from his friends in Bremen, Germany, which is home to SV Werder, the team that has a friendly relationship with Hersh’s beloved Hapoel Jerusalem soccer team. He befriended these Germans when they visited Jerusalem to watch their soccer team play. They painted a mural about peace on both sides of Jerusalem, near our home where we have lived since Hersh was 7. Just five weeks ago, Hersh spent time with these friends in Germany.

You probably have seen at least a few examples. There was the giddy message put out by the national committee of Students for Justice in Palestine, which proclaimed, “Today, we witness a historic win for the Palestinian resistance: across land, air and sea.” The speakers at the New York chapter of the Democratic Socialists of America cheered on the attacks. The president of the student Bar Association at the New York University pulled a job offer because he wouldn’t condemn Palestinian resistance. Black Lives were mentioned over the slogan “I stand with Palestine”. Matter Chicago posted a photo of a figure in a paraglider like those Hamas used to descend on a desert rave and turn it into a killing field.

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“I think what surprised me most was the indifference to human suffering,” said Joshua Leifer, a contributing editor at the left-wing magazine Jewish Currents and a member of the editorial board at the progressive publication Dissent.

Hamas terrorists shot machine guns into a crowd of mostly young adults while Hersh was camping with his best friend at an outdoor music festival. A number of people were killed in that attack. Hersh and his friends escaped by car after the vehicle came under rocket fire. They had to stop and take cover because of a bomb shelter. Hersh had an arm blown off by a grenade or a machine gun during the attack on the shelter.

I don’t know much about the fate of Hersh or any of the captives, among whom are several other Americans. I am heartbroken, but the messages of support pouring in from near and far make this moment heartwarming at the same time.

The outreach from these German friends resonates with me especially because Hersh is named after my grandfather Harold and my great-uncle Hershel, who was killed in the Holocaust. It was beautiful for me to be reminded, through these friendships, that for young Germans and Jews particularly, the world that Hersh has lived in has recognized and worked to overcome the terror experienced by my great-uncle.