In the wake of the Oct. 7 attacks on Israel by Hamas, the Jewish Community Relations Bureau|American Jewish Committee Kansas City (JCRB|AJC) organized a special briefing on Israel featuring past AJC CEO David Harris.
The briefing was held on Oct. 12 at Union Station in partnership with Jewish Federation of Greater Kansas City.
Additional speakers attending the event included Mike Kelly, Johnson County, Kansas, board chairman; Dr. Rev. Rodney Williams, pastor of Swope Parkway United Christian Church; Rev. Cheryl Bell of Church of the Resurrection; Alvin Brooks, civil rights and community activist; Kansas City, Missouri, Mayor Quinton Lucas; Dr. Kurt Graham, Harry S. Truman Library director; and Dr. Alan Mendoza, Henry Jackson Society executive director.
JCRB|AJC has been working to raise awareness — both in the Jewish and greater Kansas City communities — about the misinformation and antisemitism that has surrounded coverage of the Israel-Hamas War. This briefing was one of its programs organized since the war began.
At the briefing, JCRB|AJC Executive Director Gavriela Geller acknowledged the range of emotions that the global Jewish community is feeling.
“We are heartbroken, we are scared, and we are outraged,” Geller said. “Outraged because during a time in which we should be grieving and mourning and supporting our community through this unspeakable tragedy, we're instead being forced to defend ourselves... The Jewish community will never be the same after this. Israel and Israelis will never be the same. This is the moment when we remember our allies. And we will be forever grateful to those in this room, and to those who have spoken out and continue to speak out.”
David Harris, AJC Chief Executive Officer from 1990 to 2022, was the featured speaker.
“My head and my heart and my soul are filled with so many coexisting and competing and conflicting emotions,” Harris said.
After describing what his family in Israel have been experiencing, Harris said that what happened on Oct. 7 was “not a terrorist attack… it was an act of genocidal intent to further the mission of Adolf Hitler.” He said that comparing the attack to 9/11 and the attack on Pearl Harbor is inadequate, as the percentage of Israelis killed in the attack is much higher than the percentage of Americans killed on 9/11 and on Dec. 7, 1941.
Referencing the efforts of Kansas Citians, both Jewish and not, Harris said, “We have to stand up unambiguously, courageously if necessary. And many have stood up — some of [them] are right here in this room,” referring to the other speakers and those in the audience.
He concluded his speech with a call to action on behalf of peace, remembrance and responsibility.
“Together, now and tomorrow and the day after, for the sake of the dead, for the sake of the living, for the sake of us, and for the sake of our grandchildren, it's our responsibility to bequeath to them a better world,” he said. “...It's up to us. And if not us, who?”
The following speakers also expressed their support for the community, Israel and the Jewish people, in these excerpts from their remarks:
Johnson County, Kansas, Board Chairman Mike Kelly
“We mourn with you, our Jewish brothers and sisters in Johnson County, and we express solidarity with our Jewish brothers and sisters today, because we know that you are hurting. Like you, we unequivocally condemn the terrorist actions of Hamas… and we very much stand with Israel's right to defend itself against terrorism. We know that today will not be the end of your suffering, and our unequivocal support does not end today.
“...It was not a decade ago, where unspeakable acts came to Johnson County. And the loss of life at those events were not limited to our Jewish brothers and sisters.
“...We'll continue to stand with you. Johnson County will continue, as it has done this week, to light our facilities blue and white in solidarity with our Jewish brothers and sisters. And my family will continue to pray for you. I will continue to be here.”
Dr. Rev. Rodney Williams, pastor of Swope Parkway United Christian Church
“As an African American person of faith and a good conscience, I am deeply grieved and hurt by the cowardly and evil attacks of Hamas, and terrorism against defenseless men, women and the children of Israel. We pray for all of those and fear for your safety.
“...This is a hurtful and a shameful reminder that antisemitism is still a reality across the world. And although the power of antisemitism has a strange endurance, it does not and it will not endure or outlive justice and righteousness… We stand with you shoulder to shoulder not just today, not just tomorrow, but until justice runs down like a river and righteousness as a mighty stream.”
Rev. Cheryl Bell of Church of the Resurrection
“[Church of the Resurrection Senior Pastor Adam Hamilton], along with our staff and congregation, have been holding Israel and thousands of people in prayer who are mourning and are grieving their lost loved ones. We also are praying for those who are afraid and continue to live under the threat of further violence and loss of life. We have also been praying for the Jewish community, our dear sisters and brothers, who we love dearly, and specifically for its leaders as they care for their communities here in Kansas City.
“...As it relates to the conflict between Palestinians and Israelis, we have sought to foster understanding and to stand with both. But our willingness to stand with Palestinians does not extend to Hamas and the horrific acts committed by them. We understand that our Jewish siblings are grieving the single deadliest day for them since the Holocaust… Our love goes out to all of you, and we will continue to endure with you on this journey.”
Civil rights and community activist Alvin Brooks
“[I am] here to offer support to the people of Israel and my Jewish brothers and sisters right here in the Kansas City metropolitan area. What occurred a week ago Saturday was an attack against humanity — not only the Israeli people, not only the Jews across the world, but humanity.
“So I'm here, Alvin Brooks, to let it be known on record that I support you, my brothers and sisters who are Jewish. And I say that I mourn with you. And anytime terrorists do the kind of thing that they did a week ago Saturday, justice will have to prevail.”
Kansas City, Missouri, Mayor Quinton Lucas
“I'm not an expert on the issues; we have expertise here. I'm not Jewish; we have a number of Jewish folks here. But I am a human being. I am someone who has been able to live a life positively impacted by fellow human beings, by Jews, by travels to Israel, and someone whose heart was broken on Saturday.
“...We stand together to make sure we make that clear to everyone in our state, everyone in our country, and everyone who will listen to us when we say barbarism and terrorism should never be accepted and should never be justified.
“…[At the Jewish community gathering in support of Israel on Oct. 9], I was sitting a few seats down from a woman whose heart was truly broken as she sobbed, and as a group of people, myself included, embraced her. It made me think about the clarity that we need to have. And I will tell you, Gavi [Geller] is not exaggerating. This week has been challenging, not just because of what happened in Israel, but in some ways being awakened by the reality that's among us, the people who look to rationalize terror, the people who look to divide us based on political issues, when really we are talking about human issues. And so I make this very, very clear point. You can disagree with the politics of Israel or America. You can find concerns with anything going on in the world. But to support, to rationalize and to justify the barbaric murder of Jews is antisemitism. And we can say that clearly, strongly, proudly and bravely.”
Dr. Kurt Graham, Harry S. Truman Library director
“Like Harry Truman, we are met in a time of war. And as Gavi [Geller] pointed out in her opening remarks, this is not just a war in some distant place. I don't have any family in Israel. Unless there's someone from Kansas City that I know who happens to be visiting there, I probably don't have any friends in Israel. So why do I care? What's going on? I can bow my head for a moment of silence and say that's too bad… but I can't do that because… this war is not simply being fought in the Middle East. It is being fought, sadly, by security forces at synagogues and temples in this country. It's being fought in our high schools, and our middle schools, and sadly even in our elementary schools. That's a war that touches every one of us, no matter how we look at it."
Dr. Alan Mendoza, Henry Jackson Society executive director
“Kansas City, I'm here from the U.K. to say the same thing. And we in Britain have stood up and made ourselves felt together with you and America, and others around the world… now, political leaders across the [United Kingdom] are united in grief, united in common humanity, united in understanding… that we cannot abide what happened in Israel on Saturday.
“...There can be no impartiality. When it comes to evil, you're either on the side of good or you’re on the side of evil. It doesn't take a genius to work out what someone should be doing in that respect.”
“..We have to be a united cohesive force out there, standing together in this room and standing together outside this room in the face of those who seek to divide us… We are doing the right thing. A terrible event has occurred, and we are standing together because of it. We in the U.K., we across Europe, we here in the U.S., we here in Kansas City are doing that. Let's take from this a moment to think about how a tragedy like this could actually lend itself to something positive. That positively would be if we can take this message out here. Go beyond this room, spread it far and wide and make it clear that we will always stand with the victims of terror — never with the terrorists — and together, we will win.”
KCTV5 News livestreamed the community briefing on its YouTube account. A recording of the event can be viewed at youtube.com/watch?v=WOC77HGnbdo.
