BEACHWOOD, Ohio — Hundreds from the Jewish community in Northeast Ohio stood in solidarity with Israel Monday evening as the warfare between the Jewish state and terrorist group Hamas continues to leave hundreds dead.
The Jewish Federation of Cleveland held a "Cleveland Stands with Israel" community gathering in Beachwood Monday to support those in the country. President Erika Rudin-Luria says it's important that they came together to pray and comfort each other.
“I'm feeling pretty devastated right now," Rudin-Luria said of the attacks by Hamas. "I think we like to convince ourselves that there are no monsters parading as human beings in our world, but to terrorize, to hold people hostage in their homes, to murder parents in front of children, to take children and kidnap them, only monsters act in this way."
Rudin-Luria told 3News their solidarity with Israel is unshakeable.
"Coming together and praying, mourning those that have been murdered, praying for those that are hurt or those that are in captivity right now, praying for their return home — this is about a community standing strong and being resolute in our stance against terror and in our support of those who are going through unspeakable trauma right now as we speak," she added.
All across Greater, those with Israeli and Jewish ties are enduring the shock and fear, such as Israeli Case Western Reserve University Associate Professor of Law Anat Alon-Beck.
"This is the Israeli version of 9/11," Alon-Beck said. "The terrorist group Hamas launched a surprise and unprecedented attack. I'm very upset. I haven't slept for three days since Saturday morning. As time passes, I find out about more friends and family who have been murdered. It's just awful."
Her Israeli colleague at Case Western, history professor Einav Rabinovitch-Fox, says she's been worried sick for her loved ones.
"I have both families and friends who are in the midst of that," she shared. "Some of them died, some of them are missing still, and it's a very difficult time really to be here and to worry about them."
She's hoping for the fighting between Israel and Hamas to end soon.
"This ongoing cycle of violence of attacking each other is just not the solution," she said. "We do need to find some more permanent solutions — whether it's a military solution or a political solution — that will hopefully bring peace to this region. Civilians are dying on both sides of the border, and we need to find a permanent solution."
Hallie Abrams of Chagrin Falls tells WKYC she has two nephews, cousins, and friends trying to survive the chaos.
"What they are telling me is it is the darkest time that Israel has ever experienced," she explained. "It is a countrywide literal massacre. They've never seen death and destruction like this."
Around 900 people have been killed in Israel. Abrams is Jewish and has lived there, along with her three kids. To her, the scarring on their "ancestral homeland" is hard to bear.
"It is incredibly painful and quite honestly, it's very scary," she expressed. "It's scary to think that people were in their homes sleeping and terrorists came to their doors and dragged them out of bed with guns."
According to Abrams, one of her son's friends is missing.
"We don't know if she was one of the murdered from when they found that there were 240 kids that had been shot down and murdered and left for dead at the music festival, or she's one of the people that was kidnapped. We don't know."
Monday night in Beachwood, hundreds at the federation to share support and pray for those affected by the war.
"They're burning my home, and [I'm] seeing bodies in the streets and seeing it when I go to sleep at night," Becky Sebo said. "For a lot of people here, it's our home. It's the only place really for us."
Sebo grew up in Pepper Pike, but says she has lived in Israel numerous times with dual citizenship. She has experienced terror attacks before, but nothing like this.
"I'm constantly thinking about my family and friends and if they're okay, if I'm going to hear from them again," she added.
It's a similar fear for Beachwood native Gary Weiss. His whole family is in Jerusalem — his parents, wife, kids, and grandkids.
His two sons and daughter serve in the Israeli Army, and his family knows people who have been taken hostage and soldiers who have died on the front line.
"My biggest concern is their safety, and it's very hard," Weiss said. "I'm here in Cleveland and the rest of them are all in our home in Jerusalem, and I'm trying to get there and want to be with them and be together as one large family."
Area leaders joined the rally Monday night.
"We have to stand together to support Israel's right to exist and Jewish people's right to exist," U.S. Rep. Shontel Brown told the crowd.
"It shows that even though we're 6,000 miles apart, we're still one big Jewish family and that everybody cares for one another, and that what happens in Israel happens here in Cleveland," Weiss said.
The Jewish Federation of Cleveland has a "Cleveland Stands With Israel" fund they encourage the Northeast Ohio community and beyond to donate to at jewishcleveland.org.
