(NewsNation) — Passover began Monday and many families plan on leaving a seat open at the table in honor of the hostages still in captivity in Gaza as the war continues.
Others are expectant that their families will have empty seats due to the Iranian aggression. Jews around the world say they are resilient but not OK, NewsNation’s Adrienne Bankert reported.
“We’re feeling very alone in the world especially if you look at social media .. which I should do a lot less,” said Adele Raemer, who survived the Oct. 7 attack. “It’s distorting reality and it really does make us feel alone. Everything that’s happening is being flipped. All of a sudden we’re being called genocidal. It’s incomprehensible as a Jew in Israel and as Jews in the United States.”
Antisemitic incidences in the U.S. have tripled since the Oct. 7 Hamas attack on Israel, according to the FBI.
Tal Heinrich, a spokesperson for Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu, said the families hurt most are the ones giving their communities the most strength.
“We have no doubt that once we defeat Hamas, these dark forces… the peace will be expanded,” Heinrich said. “We are praying for peace… We hope it will be sooner than later.”
Communities can’t begin to heal until the hostages return home, Raemer said.
The International Fellowship of Christians and Jews is providing $5 million of Passover food aid for poor populations around the northern and southern borders, evacuees, and victims of the Nova music festival.