Viewpoint: Montana rabbis call out hate, promote peace
Today marks the two-year anniversary of Hamas’s attack on Israel in the Jewish calendar. Around the world, we remember that horrible day as October 7, 2023 and it was also a Jewish holy day. Two years ago, as Jewish people around the world danced and sang in celebration of the holiday of Simchat Torah, Hamas terrorists invaded Israel, murdered 1200 people, and took as hostages 251 people of all ages, religions, and nationalities.
On October 13, 2025, the last living hostages were returned to the arms of their families. Four bodies of hostages were also returned while twenty-four other deceased hostages remained in Gaza. Monday was a day of joy and hope for a brighter future. It was also a day of grief and desolation. Hostages released from Gaza, almost 2,000 Palestinian prisoners released from Israel, and so many people who will never return to the embrace of their loved ones except in their memories.
Israeli-American Rachel Goldberg-Polin, whose son Hersh died in captivity, noted that this is a moment in history when we live holding multiple experiences in one moment. Quoting the book of Ecclesiastes she said: “In Chapter 3 it says there is a time to be born and a time to die, and we have to do both right now. It says there is a time to weep and a time to laugh, and we have to do both right now. It says there is a time to tear and to heal, and we have to do both right now.”
This is the work that is upon all of us at this moment in history. We must honor and hold multiple truths. We leaders of Montana’s Jewish communities call on all of our neighbors to join us in celebrating the ceasefire and advocating for next steps that will lead to a lasting peace.
We also invite our neighbors to grieve with us–for the extreme loss of life and torment experienced by Palestinians and Israelis. We invite Montanans to enter into respectful dialogue and educational programs so that we can better understand each other and work towards a meaningful peace–in the Middle East and in our home State.
On October 7, 2025, a man in Missoula assaulted another man because he believed the man to be Jewish. The assailant claimed allegiance to nazi ideology that includes hatred of the Jewish people. We strongly support the application of hate crime laws in this disturbing case.
The two-year anniversary of Hamas’s attacks was also chosen by Montanans4Palestine to hold vigils for Gazan children killed in the war. At the Kalispell vigil, one of the participants in the reading of names stood proudly wearing a green Hamas headband. Another participant held a sign referring to a conspiracy theory that Israel’s Prime Minister was behind the Hamas attacks. And another participant was a well-known leader of a local white supremacist group. These events should concern all of us.
We call on our neighbors to take care in holding multiple truths and being clear about the distinction between criticism of Israel and antisemitism, between advocacy and promoting hatred and violence. One can criticize Israel without expressing Jew-hatred when one leads with clarity, humility, and humanity. One can grieve the death of innocents and criticize the State of Israel without promoting a terrorist organization whose charter depends on the destruction of the State of Israel and its citizens.
Natan Sharansky defines antisemitism as the three D’s–Demonization, Delegitimization, and Double Standards. When one criticizes Israel while dehumanizing Jewish people or equating all Jewish people with the state of Israel, one is crossing the line into antisemitism.
When someone identifies visually with a Palestinian terror organization they are not being anti-racist or anti-colonialist. They are aligning with the hateful rhetoric of a terrorist organization that equates murder and torture with resistance and decolonization.
There are no simple answers about the future of the Middle East or even of our own country. We pray for peace and seek to live in peace. Only through respectful dialogue and gracious listening will we be able to share our understandings and build bridges toward peace. May the peacemakers outnumber the hate-mongers and may all good people say no to hatred and yes to community.
Rabbi Francine Green Roston; Rabbi Laurie Franklin; Rabbi Sonja K Pilz; Rabbi Robbie Schaefer; Rabbi Ed Stafman; Student Rabbi Megan Eslambody