Transcript [00:01] Hello and welcome to another episode of [00:03] the Kufi Weekly. And this week the topic [00:06] of course is October 7th. We are one day [00:09] removed since the third anniversary of [00:11] that brutal massacre. [00:28] For those who need reminding, October [00:31] 7th, 2023, we saw one of the worst [00:34] massacres in modern Jewish history as [00:37] Hamas terrorists invaded Israel and [00:41] murdered 1,200 people, kidnapped many [00:43] back to Gaza, injured many more, and [00:46] committed terrible atrocities, raping [00:49] people, uh dismembering people. And as [00:53] we look back over the 3 years that have [00:56] passed, there is it's a very different [00:59] world. A very different world to what it [01:02] was on October 6th, 2023. [01:05] And I want to focus really today on [01:09] remembrance. One day after October 7th, [01:11] we have to remember that what happened [01:13] on that day is it's seared into the [01:18] minds of Israelis and our Jewish [01:20] brothers and sisters because the Jewish [01:22] people they are one people and if one [01:25] part of the body hurts they all hurt and [01:26] they are still living in this sense of [01:29] trauma. And while we should celebrate [01:32] the fact that 3 years on we can [01:34] celebrate that there are no hostages [01:36] remaining in Gaza. There are still [01:38] wounds whether we see them or not. The [01:41] PTSD from hostages who were returned, [01:45] the soldiers fighting to bring hostages [01:47] home who were those who were killed in [01:50] the line of duty. [01:52] Also, we have to ask this question about [01:55] the world outside of Israel [01:57] on October 7th after the massacre took [02:00] place. While there were still corpses in [02:04] the streets of these kabutzas while [02:06] people were still trying to get in [02:07] contact with their loved ones in the [02:09] United States, you had protests [02:11] supporting the massacre before Israel [02:14] had taken any military action to bring [02:16] its hostages home to respond to the [02:18] attack. You had people in American [02:21] streets talking about this was [02:22] exhilarating. How children being [02:24] murdered was exhilarating. [02:27] We were able to breathe [02:30] for the first time in years. [02:34] It was exhilarating. [02:38] >> It was exhilarating. It was energy. [02:41] >> It's shocking. It tells me so much about [02:43] where we are as a society at a time when [02:46] we should have seen a response similar [02:48] to what happened for 90% of the world [02:51] post 9/11 where we saw the dangers of [02:53] terrorism. We expressed solidarity with [02:56] the victims [02:58] and we saw what jihadist terrorism was [03:00] capable of. Instead of that we saw [03:03] people turn against Israel. And people [03:06] will say, well the war in Gaza, this was [03:08] before any of that. You can check the [03:11] receipts. people were protesting against [03:13] Israel, celebrating this massacre. And [03:15] it tells me so much about where we are [03:16] as a society. Our education system is [03:19] obviously broken when you have people [03:22] taking the streets in America of all [03:24] places celebrating the murder of,200 [03:27] people, the kidnapping of women, [03:30] children, and the elderly. [03:33] Now, as we are 3 years removed, we still [03:37] have a question to ask ourselves. Where [03:39] do we stand? For the Jewish people, this [03:42] is a deep trauma. They saw anti-semitism [03:44] spiral after they were attacked. So we [03:48] have to ask what where do we [03:51] as friends of the Jewish community [03:53] stand? Are we waiting for another 107 [03:55] before we speak up? It's not about the [03:58] amount of followers you have or or your [04:00] platform. It's about the will to speak. [04:03] Speak to your friends, speak to your [04:05] family, speak to your circle. That's [04:06] where you truly make an impact. [04:09] So as we mark 3 years since the brutal [04:12] 107 attacks, [04:14] let us remember, let us reflect, let us [04:16] pledge to never forget, but let's also [04:18] pledge to make a difference, to speak [04:21] up, to speak the truth. Because no [04:23] country [04:25] anywhere in the world should have to [04:26] deal with what Israel did on October 7th [04:28] and then have to deal with people [04:30] celebrating it, the people then blaming [04:33] the victim cuz that's exactly what [04:36] happened. [04:37] And while we remember and mourn those [04:39] lives lost 1,200, [04:41] each one was an individual person with a [04:43] name, a story, family, friends. [04:48] While we mourn those families broken [04:49] forever, while we think of those still [04:51] struggling with PTSD, those still [04:54] struggling to put their lives back [04:56] together because their parents, their [04:58] siblings, their spouses, their children [05:01] were murdered on that day. He also [05:03] recogniz Israeli resilience, the [05:05] communities, the kibotim that have [05:07] rebuilt, [05:09] the hostages who have got on with their [05:11] lives and are thriving, [05:13] the soldiers who continue to fight to [05:16] protect the Jewish state. [05:19] This truly is the Jewish story. And [05:21] while there is undoubtedly tragedy in so [05:24] many chapters, it's ultimately a story [05:26] of triumph. It's a story of resilience [05:30] and hope and one looking to the future. [05:33] And we [05:34] as non-Jews are in a privileged position [05:38] where we are able to come alongside them [05:40] and say that you are not alone. We see [05:42] you, we hear you and we stand with you. [05:46] This is Kasim Hafi for the Kufi Weekly. [05:48] For Zion's sake, we will never be [05:50] silent. [06:00] Thanks for checking out this episode. Be [06:02] sure to like and subscribe so you get a [06:04] notification every time a new episode [06:05] hits. And if you want to check out some [06:07] of our previous episodes, and we've got [06:09] some really good ones, click on one of [06:10] the thumbnails and that will take you [06:12] right there. And finally, if you want to [06:14] know more about Kufi and the work we do, [06:16] go to kufi.org to check out all the [06:18] resources we have available free to you.
Three years after the horrors of October 7, Kasim Hafeez reflects on what followed—not only the unimaginable pain inflicted on Israel, but the world's response.
Unlike the global solidarity America experienced after 9/11, Israel faced condemnation and hostility almost immediately, even before its major military response began.
But October 7 is not only a story of tragedy.
It is also a story of the Israeli spirit: communities rebuilding, families persevering, a nation refusing to be defined by those who sought to destroy it, and a people choosing resilience in the face of extraordinary pain.
This week, join us as we remember the lives stolen, reflect on the world's response, and honor the strength of a nation that continues to stand.
