It has been a tortuous few months. In early October, Hamas forces launched a surprise attack on Israel, reportedly firing an estimated 2,200 rockets at the country from the Gaza Strip area and killing 1,200 Israelis. The result was a new conflict in a tinderbox area of the world, with countless innocent civilians, many children, suffering under the weight of years of unresolved tensions. All of this while the war in Ukraine also continues on with no end in sight.
Amidst all of this, on Oct. 31, I visited “trunk or treat” events at Clancy School and Jefferson City Fire Department, and saw gatherings of happy families safely sharing the Halloween tradition of costumes and candy. I doubt there were many with the thought of world conflict clouding their minds and displacing their good feelings. It was a fun time.
But then reality came back, with reports in late October and early November from the Anti-Defamation League of an over 400% increase in antisemitic incidents across the U.S. And in the Middle East, Hamas was still holding hostage hundreds of Israelis, many of them children; Israel was still bombing Gazan civilians.
