Barry Abels, executive director of The Jewish Federation of Fort Worth & Tarrant County, held back tears as he told the hundreds of people who gathered Tuesday at Beth-ElCongregation how the war in Gaza hit close to home.
On Oct. 6, Abels went to Houston to observe Shabbat with his 92-year-old parents and his nephew, an Israeli Defense Force soldier. As news of the violence occurring in Gaza broke over the weekend, Abels had to say goodbye to a nephew, who had been called to join his unit treating Isrealites who were wounded.
“Sunday night, as I dropped him off at the Bush Intercontinental (Airport) and gave him a big hug, it hit me that I was sending him off to war,” Abels said, holding back tears.
Tarrant County Jewish residents, religious and civic leaders made up the hundreds of people who gathered in Beth-El Congregation’s large worship room Tuesday evening for a communitywide solidarity vigil for Israel.
Congregants and guests sat with their families and loved ones, holding small versions of the Israeli flag.
“The last time we gathered for something like this was to celebrate Israel’s 75th anniversary. Now it’s something quite the opposite,” said Abels.
The event was organized by The Jewish Federation of Fort Worth & Tarrant County and hosted at Beth-El Congregation. The vigil comes as a war between Israel and Hamas, a group that the U.S. Department of State labeled a foreign terrorist organization in 1997, is intensifying. The conflict has claimed at least 2,200 lives on both sides and is expected to escalate, according to Associated Press.
Jewish community standing with Israel
Fort Worth Jewish leaders took to the bema for prayer, song and to recite religious text. Rabbi Andrew Bloom from Congregation Ahavath Sholom, a Conservative Jewish synagogue in Fort Worth, served two and a half years in the Israeli army as a combat medic in an artillery unit in Lebanon, the West Bank and Gaza.
“He who blesses our forefathers Abraham, Issac and Jacob may bless upon the Israel defense forces, who’s standing guard over our land and the cities of our God,” Bloom said while delivering Psalm 83 at the vigil.
In the audience was Jeffery Cohen. He and his wife are members of Congregation Beth Israel in Colleyville and Makom Shelanu in Fort Worth. Cohen said he has been sensitive to the hostage-taking happening in the war because of his own experience being a hostage at Congregation Beth Israel. On Jan. 15, 2022, a gunman entered the Colleyville synagogue during services and held hostages during a 10-hour standoff with local, state and federal authorities.
“I never thought I would die that day, but I was prepared to,” Cohen said. “I’m worried obviously. This is still just below the surface, and probably will always be. That’s why I’m a little sensitive to hostage-taking.”
Rabbi Zimmerman of Beth-El Congregation mentioned the importance of the vigil being an all-community event and recognized Jewish, Protestant, Catholic and Islamic religious leaders during the vigil.
“I know you and your community hurt as much as we hurt, and no words, prayers change what this is for both of us. Your presence here tonight means more than I can say,” Zimmerman said, addressing the president of theIslamic Association of Tarrant County, Farah Memon, in the crowd.
Voices for Palestinian community
Nizam Peerwani, Arlington resident and member of the Islamic Association of Tarrant County, submitted an op-ed to the Fort Worth Report, sharing his thoughts on the news coverage of deaths between Israeli and Palestinian citizens. Peerwani does not identify as Palestinian or Arab.
“There is sparse reporting of pain and suffering experienced by the civilian men, women and children in Gaza, who have no bomb shelters and no Iron Dome Defense System to intercepts and destroys the barrage of short-range rockets and mortars rained on them by IDF (Israeli Defense Force) and the Israeli Air Force,” Peerwani wrote.
Nashwa Abdelwahed is an Arlington resident who is Palestinian. She has been a member of the Palestinian Youth Movement’s Dallas Chapter since 2018, a transnational grassroots movement for Palestinians between the ages of 18 and 35.
Abdelwahed said she has been reflecting on the historic conflict between Isrealites and Palestinians as the war is unfolding.
“I’m feeling sadness right now for the people of Palestine,” Abdelwahed said. “Palestinians have really faced some terrible, horrible mistreatment, like from home demolitions to mass imprisonment.”
The Dallas Palestine Coalition held a protest Oct. 8. Asah Shah, who co-founded the coalition in 2016, lives in the Dallas area but said he travels to Fort Worth often for work.
Shah said he’s not Palestinian but he found himself in shock when he heard about the violence going on in Gaza over the weekend.
“I’m hoping for peace. I’m praying for peace. But enough is enough. You know, it’s just been going on too long. And both sides have suffered. Overwhelmingly, the Palestinians suffered,” Shah said.
Religious, civic leaders weigh in
The White House released a statement that the United States will join France, Germany, Italy and the United Kingdom in their support of Israel. On the local level, Texas and Fort Worth religious and civic leaders shared their thoughts at Beth-El Congregation’s bema.
Michael Olson, bishop for the Fort Worth Catholic Diocese, offered a prayer to the audience during the vigil, which he said he composed from reading the Book of Isaiah and reviewing St. John Paul II’s prayer at the Western Wall.
“For the state of Israel is a symbol for the Jewish people. And, as a Catholic, we must always remember that salvation is through the Jews and we must be especially mindful of speaking out against the sense of antisemitism, and other forms of racism,” Olson told the Report.
On Tuesday, the Texas Legislature responded to the international conflict by unanimously passing House Resolution 10, reaffirming the state’s support for Israel.
State Rep. Craig Goldman, R-Fort Worth, who spoke about the bill at the Capitol, traveled to Beth-El Congregation to speak at the vigil.
“What we do here matters. When we show our support to the state of Israel, the people of Israel see it and recognize it and spread it around,” Goldman said.
At the vigil, both Goldman and Fort Worth Mayor Mattie Parker addressed recent anti-semitic behavior that happened locally. On Oct. 8, a video on TikTok went viral of a group of people dressed in Nazi clothing at a Torchy’s Tacos in Fort Worth.
“We as a community need to do better, and when we see neo-Nazis in a restaurant wearing a badge with a swastika on it, we need to call that out. We need to speak up,” Goldman said.
Parker quoted Holocaust survivor Elie Wiesel’s 1986 Nobel Peace Prize acceptance speech and said that she is supporting Israel.
“As the mayor of our city, let me be very clear, that in the city of Fort Worth, we stand with Israel. Tonight, we are taking sides to support our brothers or sisters, our love and support here in this room is fully placed as we surround our Jewish community hurting and fearful right here at home,” Parker said.
The vigil closed with Singing of the Hatikvah led by Cantors Sheri Allen, Elisa Abrams Cohn and her twin sister Shoshana Abrams Kaikov. The audience joined toward the end of the song as their voices and Israel flags filled the space of the congregation’s worship room.
Marissa Greene is a Report for America corps member, covering faith for the Fort Worth Report. You can contact her at marissa.greene@fortworthreport.org or on Twitter @marissaygreene.
Cristian ArguetaSoto is the community engagement journalist at the Fort Worth Report. Contact him by emailor via Twitter. At the Fort Worth Report, news decisions are made independently of our board members and financial supporters. Read more about our editorial independence policy here.
At the Fort Worth Report, news decisions are made independently of our board members and financial supporters. Read more about our editorial independence policy here.
This article first appeared on Fort Worth Report and is republished here under a Creative Commons license.