The dream for Israeli citizens is the American Dream

• State Senator Jeremy England, fresh from a legislative conference in Israel, tells of his experience, including visiting areas that were ground-zero of the attacks carried out by Hamas on October 7, 2023. 

Last month, I had the opportunity to travel to Israel with four of my fellow legislators from Mississippi as part of the “50 States One Israel” conference. We were honored to take part in this historic event consisting of 250 legislators from all over the United States – the largest delegation of legislators to ever visit the State of Israel.

While on the trip, we had a chance to visit Old Jerusalem, the Yad Vashem holocaust museum, and the Knesset (the Israeli Congress). We also heard from many of Israel’s top officials, including Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, President Isaac Hertzog, Speaker of the Knesset Amir Ohana, and Minister of Foreign Affairs Gideon Sa’ar. 

The message we heard from Israeli government officials was clear: the partnership between our two countries is not only mutually beneficial, but it is vital in helping Israel fight against our common enemies. Speaker Ohana reminded us that Israel, like America, is committed to defending the inalienable rights of Life, Liberty, and the Pursuit of Happiness. Prime Minister Netanyahu and President Herzog spoke about our common values, and they talked about the importance of preserving freedom and independence.

Our common foundation on these principles is what allows for so much growth and innovation for citizens in both of our countries. No other places on Earth allow for ordinary citizens to rise in rank and in wealth through hard work and innovation. In this way, the dream for Israeli citizens is the American Dream.

I was very impressed with the people I met and the culture I saw in the big cities and in the rural agricultural areas of Israel. We visited several business and industry leaders, including Israel Aerospace Industries, a leader in defense and commercial technology with direct ties to the State of Mississippi. In fact, we have many Mississippi/Israeli economic ties. Stark Industries in Columbus, MS develops core components of the arrow missiles that defend Israel as part of the Iron Dome. Our shipbuilding industries on the Coast have built ships for the Israeli Navy. Mississippi benefited from $60 Million in trade with Israel in 2024, with half of that trade coming in the defense industry. 

Our tour of the Startup Nation Center in Tel-Aviv focused on medical technology and cyber advancements, supporting both small and large companies alike. Aside from helping Israeli startups, the Center also performs outreach to other countries, with the goal of helping new businesses emerge that will provide better opportunities for citizens in that part of the world. Stronger economies in the Middle East and in Africa will undoubtedly help global trade while encouraging peace.

We also met with those making agricultural improvements, where farmers are turning desert land into lush vineyards and fields, trading globally in fruits, vegetables, oils, and wines. Israel has a very diverse economy, much like we have in Mississippi and in America.   

The most moving and emotional part of our trip came when we traveled south to the Gaza Envelope. While there, we visited areas that were ground-zero of the terrible attacks carried out by Hamas Terrorists from Gaza on October 7, 2023. 

The date “October 7th” is etched into the memory of all Israeli citizens the same way Americans will never forget “9/11.” On that terrible day, Hamas terrorists from Gaza opened a major surprise attack by launching over 4,000 rockets into southern Israeli neighborhoods. Many innocent families that were home celebrating a holiday quickly sought shelter in safe rooms. Others rushed into bunkers that have been built throughout the areas, including in local parks where children ran from playgrounds to hide with their parents. Hamas terrorists then poured into the area by the thousands, where they murdered and raped people wherever they were found. Over 1,200 people were killed, and over 250 civilians and soldiers were taken hostage. 

Our Mississippi group, along with representatives from Alabama, Florida, Kentucky, Kansas and other states, visited the site of the Be’eri massacre. We walked the streets and the brick-lined sidewalks of this small village, where around 70 Hamas terrorists murdered at least 130 people over the course of several hours. 

It was very odd seeing these homes speckled with shrapnel and bullet holes and burned black inside and out. Yards and gardens that were once cared for are now overgrown and wilted. Broken basketball goals, children’s bicycles, and skateboards were laying around. We could see broken furniture and appliances inside the homes. I remarked to a colleague that it reminded me of walking through a neighborhood after a hurricane or a tornado. 

The terror experienced by the people in Be’eri then became even more clear as we stepped onto the back porch of one of the homes. A banner hung on the walkway with a picture of a teenage boy and his mother, both of whom were killed in the home. A group of high school seniors that accompanied us, two boys and two girls, stepped up to tell the story of what happened to their friends. Though they were just 17 years old, I took note of how they looked older – and they carried themselves with a demeanor of hastened adulthood that is often seen in victims of terrible events.

The house where we were standing had been occupied by a family of four: a man, his wife, his 15-year-old son, and a younger daughter. A feeling of looking in a mirror at my own family and my own home hit me hard. The group of teenagers told us that the family was in their saferoom on October 7th when several terrorists broke into the home. They screamed at the family and shot through the door with their automatic weapons. The dad was struck in the arm by a bullet. After a short time trying to breach the room, the terrorists tossed three grenades through an opening, two of which exploded in the very small, concealed area. The mother and teenage boy were badly hurt. The mother died quickly. The boy died several hours later.

The boy’s name was Carmel Bachar. He was 15 years old when he died, the same age as my son. He had brown eyes, and he wore his hair curly on top and short on the sides, just like my son. Before he died, he asked his dad to bury him with his surfboard. He loved the water, just like my son loves the water here on the Mississippi Gulf Coast. Hearing all of this was very tough for me – as I imagined the grief and the pain of that family. 

One of the girls that knew Carmel sang a song she wrote in his memory. The words were sung in Hebrew, but we were provided with the English translation. I could tell that Carmel was very much loved and missed by his friends. As she sang, I looked around the back porch and into the home. I saw board games shoved under a picnic table collecting dust. I saw flowerpots that once decorated the area full of weeds. I walked into the house, and I saw a single shoe sitting in the corner of the bedroom that belonged to Carmel. Seeing the shoe caused even more emotion to hit me, as I thought back to my visit to the holocaust museum the day before – where one exhibit contained a large pile of shoes left from victims of the Auschwitz concentration camp. 

I began to cry. I cried for Carmel and for his mom, Dana. I cried for the young daughter that now has only memories of her mother and her older brother. I cried for the dad and for all that was stolen from him by evil terrorists that day. I tried to tell the young girl that sang to us that I have a 15-year-old boy at home – and I wanted to tell her that I am so sorry for what she and her friends experienced. But I was overcome with emotion, and I could not talk. I could only tell her that my own son is 15, my voice breaking. She hugged me and patted my back, and we both wept for what happened to her friends.

As we walked out of Kibbutz Be’eri, I noticed posters with pictures on almost all of the homes around us. These were pictures of victims of the terrorist attacks. Men, women and children – savagely killed in their homes. 

From Be’eri, our group traveled to the now infamous site of the Nova Music Festival Massacre. The music festival was in full swing on October 7 when Hamas terrorists parachuted in, attacking the innocent people attending. The death toll at this one site was 378, with many more wounded and kidnapped.

The site was once a beautiful national park, and during the music festival there was a main stage, a dance floor, campsites, and areas for refreshments. Now, the national park is crowded with pictures of victims and memorials left by surviving friends and family members. The victims were mostly young adults, and their stories were all unique. It was not hard to picture similar crowds enjoying similar events in America. 

As the terrorists surrounded the Nova Music Festival area, large crowds of people were sprayed with machine gun fire. Those that ran were chased down and executed. The small security team that was on site was quickly overwhelmed. Many women were raped before they were killed, and bodies of many victims were burned. It took several weeks to locate all of the remains, since many victims were killed where they were hiding or where they were dragged by their tormenters. Crews told us about locating bodies by watching for buzzards to circle in areas they had not yet searched. Piles of burned remains would be identified by teeth and jewelry. 

What I saw in Israel will stay with me forever. After hearing the recollections of survivors and the memories of those that knew the victims, I promised to share their stories when I returned. I promised to remind my fellow Mississippians and my fellow Americans that Israelis today feel the same we did after 9/11. The people of Israel are very kind, loving, and welcoming, with Western ideals and customs – but now they are full of resolve to bring justice to Hamas and all of their enemies. Israeli flags proudly adorn many balconies and hang on the fronts of many houses and apartment buildings in a sign of patriotic resolve. Those of us that remember the days after 9/11 saw this same type of patriotism here in America. We vowed not to let terrorists destroy our country and to ruin our lives with fear, and we all cheered each victory over al Quida and ISIS. 

We must remember how we felt after 9/11 as we stand in support of Israel – our greatest ally in the Middle East. We cannot let propaganda cause us to divert our attention away from standing with our friend – and we cannot allow ourselves to be misled. Israel is in the right in striking back to defeat Hamas. Hamas is the bad actor that started this current war on October 7, 2023 – along with help from other Iranian proxies like Hezbollah in Lebanon, the Houthis in Yemen, and the Pro-Assad militias in Syria. Each of these groups fervently call for “Death to Israel,” and they vow to kill and remove all non-Muslim peoples from the area – which is the meaning of their chant of “From the River to the Sea.” The groups also regularly call for “Death to America.”

When we hear these chants Israel – and when we hear them on campuses and in large cities in America, we should think about the victims of October 7th AND of the victims of 9/11. Israel’s enemies are also our enemies – and while Israel does not ask for American soldiers, they do ask for our continued support and partnership. When England was being attacked by Nazi Germany in the beginnings of World War 2, Winston Churchill had one main request from his friends in America: “Give us the tools, and we will get the job done.” Israel now stands on the frontlines against those that want to destroy Western Civilization – and this fight will spread to American shores if our friends do not stand and survive these fights overseas.  

How can we all help Israel?  We need to ignore the propaganda and the noise that seeks to turn us against our ally. Of course, civilian deaths are very tough to hear about and to see on the news and in reels, and we should all want an end to those deaths. But we cannot ignore the numbers from the last World War and from our own War On Terror – where the civilian deaths were greater in Germany and in Afghanistan, because our enemies hid within communities and used civilians as shields. This is happening in Gaza, and the best and quickest way to stop this from happening is for Hamas to surrender and to release all hostages. Until that ultimate goal is achieved, America – and Mississippi – needs to stand firm with our friend, Israel.