CLEVELAND — It may be half a world away, but many in Northeast Ohio with loved ones embroiled in war are reeling from violence in the Middle East.
“You go from sad to angry to anxious: checking the phone, checking the TV every couple of minutes to see if there are any new developments, checking in with family members to make sure nothing has changed,” Ziad Tayeh said.
Susan Borison said, “It is a terrible feeling every morning when you wake up. The first thing you do is you check your WhatsApp to see who you’ve heard from."
Borison’s sister, several sisters-in-law, nieces, nephews, and many close friends live in Israel. She herself studied abroad there in college and has visited many times.
“It’s very painful to sit on the sidelines and know what’s going on there, and you’re not quite sure what to do,” she said.
Borison, the Chair of the Community Relations Committee at the Jewish Federation of Cleveland, said Cleveland’s large Jewish population is grappling with the violent attacks and kidnappings in Israel over the weekend by Hamas. The militant group killed at least 1,200 people, many of whom were in their homes, on the streets, and at a music festival.
“You know how one story hits you so hard, and the numbers seem too grand and too big to even comprehend? But we are hearing story after story after story about things you can’t unsee, you can’t unhear,” Borison said.
Since the attack, Israel has retaliated against Hamas-controlled Gaza. According to Palestinian officials, death tolls there have reached 1,400.
“You look at Gaza. It's a place that is totally under siege. People are not allowed to leave. People are not allowed to come in,” Tayeh said.
The Rocky River attorney has relatives and friends in Palestine, many of whom tell him they’re safe in the West Bank. But many there and in Northeast Ohio’s sizable Palestinian-American community are anxiously watching the violence unfold.
“People are concerned,” he said. “Staying up late for prayer and making sure that our people, through donations or otherwise, are doing as best as we possibly could have them do.”
Showings of solidarity with Israel and rallies for Palestine have both cropped up in Northeast Ohio in recent days. Many are grieving lives lost, worried for loved ones’ safety, and concerned about the global impact of war.
“It’s about civil life. It’s about the way we live here, thinking that life matters,” Borison said.
Tayeh added, “We’re all human beings. We all have goals, dreams, and aspirations.”
