Metro Atlanta Jewish rabbis share experiences from recent Israel trip

ATLANTA - Twenty-two leaders in metro Atlanta's Jewish community shared their experiences in a forum Sunday about their recent trip to Israel.

They shared many messages, but one theme emerged: the impacts from Oct. 7 are still raging in Israel. 

"We were there to collect stories… every story was different and every story was so heartbreaking and inspiring at the same time," said Renee Kutner, COO of the Jewish Federation of Greater Atlanta. 

The group consisted of 15 metro Atlanta rabbis and 7 other Jewish community leaders.

They visited several kibbutzs where Israelis had been murdered and kidnapped on Oct. 7, as well as the site of the Supernova music festival where many were killed and taken hostage.  

"There was nobody we met who wasn't either related to somebody who was killed or taken hostage or a soldier that was serving or a soldier that's been killed," said President of the Federation Eric Robbins.  

The group had planned the trip well before Oct. 7, but they said the attack changed the whole tone and mission of their trip. 

"October 7th is still alive, it's still happening. The date in Israel right now is Oct. 7," said Rabbi Binyomin Friedman of Congregation Ariel in Dunwoody.

He says there they discovered that around 200,000 Israelis are still displaced from the attacks.

Like his niece who had to evacuate her kibbutz.

"My niece and her family, seven children, they’re living in a hotel, in two rooms in a hotel, because the Army cannot promise them that they will be safe," Friedman said. 

He said despite the significant loss of life in Gaza since Israel’s invasion, after seeing the impacts from Oct. 7, he says Israel needs to wipe out Hamas. 

"Our American government should support that, they have been supporting that, they should continue to be supportive of it," Friedman said. 

At least one rabbi at the forum, however, said people should be aware of the immense suffering of the Palestinians in Gaza and peace should prevail. 

But the nightmare of Oct. 7 is ongoing for families of the 132 hostages still being held in Gaza.

"What we heard loud and clear is that has got to be front and center and it's slipping from the news," Kutner said. 

She gave us one example of a family they met with whose grandson is still a captive in Gaza.

"He's still there 134 days later. The grandfather is a Holocaust survivor. To listen to him talking about the first Holocaust that he survived in the woods for three years while his mother hid him by the grace of God and now the second "holocaust" he's living every day," she said. 

Kutner says the best thing people here can do is continue to raise the issue of the safe return of the hostages.  

"Those hostages are where this started and it's not over there. We cannot stop telling that story," she said. 

Robbins encourages others to visit Israel right now as well. 

"Just by showing up, soon as you land, you're in solidarity. So go there..we’re a really proud community of Atlanta and that Jews and non-Jews alike often visit Israel and I'd say continue to do that. It’s a country that's still fascinating and people there will appreciate your support," he said.