I am writing out of a sense of outrage and anger. I am an American Jew who has been to Israel 10 times and has friends there. I have been to the border town of Sderot and met with the police officers and first responders there, many of whom are likely victims of the murderers.
This past weekend, Hamas gunmen burst into Israel from Gaza and murdered in cold blood nearly 1,000 civilians, including mowing down 260 souls who were simply attending a dance festival, taking hostage 150 citizens of Israel, including children as young as toddlers and an 85-year-old woman. In the year 2023. Who, besides ISIS, does such a thing? The answer is Hamas.
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For readers who casually observe the Middle East and ask themselves, “Why doesn’t Israel just withdraw and give the Palestinians a homeland?” Israel did a complete withdrawal from Gaza in 2005. Shortly after that, the Palestinians in Gaza chose Hamas to represent them and 18 years of rockets, mortars and atrocities have resulted.
For Hamas, and many of its supporters, peace is not the objective they have in mind. As last weekend’s events demonstrate, they want to kill Jews and destroy Israel. That is their goal. How do you make peace with someone who wants to kill you?
Invading your neighbors, murdering and kidnapping their citizens are not actions of people who understand statehood. What will follow this heinous action by Hamas is more violence and bloodshed. The people who will suffer the most are the people of Gaza. Sad, but a direct result of having Hamas as their leadership.
Jim Woldenberg, Highland Park
Butkus was an icon before Bears fame
Rick Morrissey, you really hit the nail on its head with your recent article on Dick Butkus. The piece really captured who Butkus was. He was legendary even back when I was in high school at Mt. Carmel in 1960 and 1961. The story you retell in the first three paragraphs in your column about him going after the boys harassing his then-girlfriend was a story that almost all of us back then in high school knew and spread.
Robert Sullivan, Downers Grove
We need to get to know the migrants
Considering all the print and broadcast coverage of the thousands of migrants being bused into Chicago, we Sun-Times readers (and WBEZ listeners) still know virtually nothing about them.
We can see they’re desperate for a safe shelter for themselves and their families. They don’t seem unusually threatening, and those who are interviewed seem to be educated. To get this far on their brutal odyssey it’s clear they are brave, resourceful and determined — all admirable qualities.
But really, who are they? What did they do in their home country? Do they have skills that our Illinois cities and villages might need? Were they caregivers? Mechanics? Cooks? Farmers? Teachers? Engineers? Bookkeepers? As the media continues to cover this situation, I hope those questions are asked and answered in every interview.
Nelson Howard, Wilmette
