Hamas attack on Israel: Austin rabbi speaks on impacts to Israeli, Jewish communities

AUSTIN, Texas - October 12 was Yom Kippur, the holiest day on the Jewish calendar. 

It comes just days after commemorations marked one year since the October 7 Hamas attack on Israel.

FOX 7 Focus reporter John Krinjak spoke with Rabbi Daniel Septimus, CEO of Shalom Austin, about what the past year has been like for Israeli and Jewish communities in Central Texas.

JOHN KRINJAK: What does this date mean to you? October 7th. One year since the horrific attacks in Israel. What's going through your mind today?

DANIEL SEPTIMUS: There's, I think, a big lump in all of our bodies, in our hearts, when we lose 1,200 people, over 1,200 people on one single day. It affects the entire Jewish community, not just the people in Israel. And we know if we were to have that kind of incident here in the United States, it would be tens of thousands of people, just tens of thousands, a hundred thousand people. So you can only imagine what kind of impact that would have for all of us this year in Austin, Texas, if something like that happened. And to know that the war is continuing, that there's still over 100 hostages in captivity. It still takes on an important meaning for us in an elevated way, in a sense that we'd hope that all the hostages would be home at this point.

JOHN KRINJAK: When you talk to members of the Israeli community here in Austin or just members of the Jewish communities here in Austin, what has the last year been like for them?

DANIEL SEPTIMUS: It's been a year of I'll say on the one hand, it's been a year of incredible resilience that this community came together in ways that I don't think it's ever come together across institutions, across people. The Israeli community that's over a thousand strong here in the Austin area came together with us, you know, hand in hand aligned. I think it's shown incredible resilience and it's been a year of incredible isolation. So many of us are really cherish when people do extend their hand to us and reach out to us to try to engage and say, you're not alone in this, regardless of what our feelings are about the conflict. We want you to know that we really care about your community.

JOHN KRINJAK: It's hard to believe it has been a year since, you know, we were all gathered here October of last year. Emotions were really raw, obviously, in the immediate aftermath. But here we are a year later, as you alluded to, the war is still going on. Does that surprise you that the conflict is still out there, People are still dying a whole year later?

DANIEL SEPTIMUS: I think most of us had hoped that it would be over by this point, but I don't know if any of us are surprised. We knew that this would be a long war. We knew it would be hard to to ensure that we provide the right safety and security, not only for the Israeli people, but for all peoples that live in the region. And it would take time to uproot an organization, a terrorist organization that's been in power for so long.

JOHN KRINJAK: What do you hope the larger community, you know, people that may not be Jewish, who may not have a direct connection or people who may have a different view on this whole situation? What do you hope they take away from this day?

DANIEL SEPTIMUS: I hope that they take away that our community is resilient, that we are bound together in this fight against, you know, what was this horrific, horrific day that we want to move toward peace. But a lot of efforts have to take place before we get there. And that I hope that the greater community sees that we need them. You know, we're all human beings and we should never make any community feel alienated or isolated.