It’s a strange thing to come face-to-face with pure, raw evil.  Even when you’ve long been convinced of evil’s existence, and even when you’ve had glimpses of it from sobering, soul-crushing places like Yad Vashem in Jerusalem and the Killing Fields of Cambodia, or had brief dances with it while out on patrol on the streets of California.

Well, this week was the week that I came face-to-face with that pure, raw evil.  My wife and I have the privilege of being in Israel to help with a group of pastors and other influencers from the U.S. and Colombia, on what is known as a Pastors’ Familiarization Tour (commonly known as a “Fam Tour”) and which is being hosted by the remarkable Israeli/American non-profit Aliyah Foundation.

But this Fam Tour is unlike any other with which I’ve been associated, since this tour was designed not just to familiarize pastors with the remarkable land, people and nation of Israel and how to lead or host a tour of it in the future, but also to turn us into witnesses of the evidence of the atrocities committed by Hamas against the south of Israel on October 7, 2023.  And the reason for the latter is essentially two-fold: 1) Israel will soon be demolishing the affected communities and kibbutzim and rebuilding them from scratch because the degree of horror in these places is just too deep to simply repair, and 2) To help counter the lies and disinformation being spread about October 7 and its aftermath by what we in America call the Mainstream Media.

As such, many doors perhaps normally closed to most groups have been opened for us, and among other things we were treated to political and military briefings of a substantial and sobering nature.  We also had the somber honor of meeting with family members of a Gaza hostage and grieving with them, but the most heart-wrenching and devastating privilege of all was that we were allowed to visit inside of what is called the Gaza Envelope, and which is an area adjacent to the Gaza Strip that received the brunt of the Hamas terrorist offensive on October 7.

Our first visit inside of the Gaza Envelope was to Kibbutz Nir Oz, which as a community suffered the highest percentage of individuals killed and captured by Hamas than any other community.  Except for those gracious individuals who grimly showed us around, Nir Oz was now a virtual ghost town since the entire kibbutz was overrun by Hamas, and where most homes were bombed or set ablaze, and where the loss of life was staggering.  The bodies of the slain of Nir Oz were later collected and stored in what was left of the dining hall, and nine months later the unforgettable stench of decaying human flesh was still heavy in the air.

It was from here that the two young red-headed boys mentioned by Prime Minister Netanyahu in his address to Congress were taken hostage into Gaza, and who remain there to this day.  And on the day before we arrived in Nir Oz it was learned that the body of the elementary school teacher taken hostage from there had been found dead by the IDF in a Gaza tunnel, where her body had lain for several months along with four others.  As a security officer at an elementary school, seeing the burnt and grenade-destroyed elementary classrooms, and knowing that one of its teachers was taken hostage was particularly visceral for me.  There are few things more worth protecting on this planet than the beautiful innocence of the young, and few things more moving to me than the faithful teachers who so deeply love the kids they shepherd.

From Nir Oz we headed north to the Be’eri Forest, which is the site of the now-famous Nova music festival, and which was overrun by Hamas early on October 7.  Out of the over 3,000 attendees of the festival, there were 340 Israelis killed and/or taken hostage into Gaza.  And yes, both Hamas and regular Gazans took dead Israelis back across the border for the rewards offered by their overlords.  How very special.

Here there has been a heartfelt and organic movement to memorialize those slain and captured, and volunteers have already planted a new tree in the memory of each of the fallen and the taken, turning what once was a place of joy into a solemn place of remembrance and grief.  Like Israel itself, the Be’eri Forest will be forever changed.

After the Nova Festival site, we continued north to visit Kibbutz Be’eri.  This community suffered the highest number of casualties of any of the Gaza Envelope communities, but thanks to the heroic efforts of its 23-person security team who fought like lions until their ammo ran out, the kibbutz was only partially overrun by Hamas before the IDF arrived and pushed the terrorists back into Gaza.  Nevertheless, the damage was extensive, and the loss of life and number of captured were staggeringly high.

Our final stop was to visit the modern Israeli city of Ashkelon, where the Aliyah Foundation helped dedicate a classroom for special needs students, with this classroom being named in honor of a brave IDF soldier who fell fighting with his unit against the highly-trained Nukhba brigades of Hamas.  This young man, Ido Kaslasi, was personally known to our tour guide, who lives on the same kibbutz as the Kaslasis and watched him grow up, underscoring the fact that virtually everyone in Israel personally knows someone wounded, killed or captured on October 7 and the months that have followed.

As part of the dedication, Ido’s mother eulogized her fallen son, and to honor our presence, graciously did so in English.  Essentially, when the news of the attack reached Ido, he immediately set out for the south of Israel to join his unit and protect his country, eventually falling wounded with two shots to the torso in the fourth day of battle.  He probably would’ve survived, but he downplayed his injuries so that his brothers-in-arms could receive treatment and evacuation before him.  Other than his commander, he was the last to leave the scene, but succumbed to his injuries before reaching the hospital.

Just one amazing, crushing story among so many of Israel’s soldiers rightfully deemed “the lions of Israel” by Prime Minister Netanyahu.  It was here that the devastating scope of what’s occurred hit me, and for the entire trip I’ve been wrestling with why.  Why here?  Why this story?  Why this soldier?  I suppose that it could be the fact that he was the middle of three sons, as I am.  I suppose that it could be the fact that all three sons (two of whom are still fighting) went into the military, as my brothers and I did, where we all wrestled with the idea of not making it home.  These are factors, surely, but in truth I think it was watching Ido’s father during the dedication.  A tall, handsome man, he stood quietly by his wife as she spoke of their amazing son, and the pain wracking his strong frame was so palpable that many of us couldn’t hold back the tears.

In the end, not being a Hebrew speaker, I could only touch my hand to my heart and then to his – a clumsy gesture from one father to another, from one human being to another.  It seems to me that it’s such a conundrum to so many Israeli parents in these times: You raise up your children to live honorably, to do what is right, to love and protect their country, and to shield the weak.  And then to your intense pride they do so, but for the Kaslasis, that was the last thing one of their sons did.  He lived honorably, he did what was right, he loved and protected his country, and he shielded the weak.  And then he never came home.  And so it is throughout Israel – a magnificent country at once filled with the deepest pride, but also with the deepest sorrow.

Sadly, there is a massive amount of misinformation, disinformation and outright lying about October 7 from so many sources, so let me recount a few of the proven atrocities committed by Hamas and the Gazans against Israelis on that day.  Families were burned alive in their homes.  Israelis were dismembered while alive. Parents were slaughtered in front of their children, and children slaughtered in front of their parents.  Hideous manners of death were invented on the spot. Women were raped so forcefully that their pelvic bones were shattered.  Some women were raped to death.  Some women were raped after death.  And who knows how the living hostages (if there truly are any left at this point) are actually being treated by the living monsters who captured them.

I don’t like to speak of such things as these, but I’m so tired and angry at so many of my fellow Americans (and many others around the world) who try to play the moral equivalency game between the Israelis and the Gazans.  Gaza unleashed literal hell upon Israel, and Israel has been (in my humble opinion) far too measured in its response to these atrocities.  In my life I’ve been blessed to visit Israel eleven times now: My first two visits were U.S. Navy port visits in 1988.  My third visit was in 1999, when I lived in Netanya for six weeks the year before I went into full-time ministry, and the last eight visits have been as a leader or co-leader of Christian tours here.

I’ve lived with Israelis, played on teams with Israelis, worked with Israelis, worshiped with Israelis and have made many lasting friendships with Israelis, and they’re nothing like what is being said of them in the left-leaning press of the Western world.  So please, let me tell you about the Israelis I know.

The Israelis I know love life, love being alive, and desire that all the peoples and nations around them do the same.

The Israelis I know cherish the idea of family.

The Israelis I know love their country fiercely.  And rightly they should, for Israel is the most remarkable country in the world.

The Israelis I know love Western civilization, for it is built upon their ancient laws.  They are its bedrock.

The Israelis I know fight in front of their elderly, their women and their children.  They don’t use them as human shields.

The Israelis I know are the vanguard of Western civilization, and are brave enough and willing enough to fight the fights necessary for its preservation that so many Westerners are too lazy or indifferent to fight.

The Israelis I know, even more so than most Americans, are horrified when they see the American flag desecrated anywhere in the world.

The Israelis I know never back down from a fight unless ordered to do so by those of lesser spine or weaker values.

The Israelis I know yearn so very deeply for peace, but find so few partners to share it with.

The Israelis I know don’t like to start a fight, but they sure do know how to finish one.

The Israelis I know, because of the neighborhood in which they live, see the world more clearly than others.

The Israelis I know make fierce enemies, but they make even better friends.

The Israelis I know are at times a bit rough on the outside, but inside they have hearts of gold.

The Israelis I know love their land more than any other people I’ve ever seen.

The Israelis I know would all take a bullet for one another, whether Jew, Muslim, Druze, Christian or atheist.

The Israelis I know truly care for the Palestinians and want the best for them.

The Israelis I know would love nothing more than to live at peace with all of their neighbors.

The Israelis I know have three times given up land for peace (in Gaza, in the Sinai and in Judea/Samaria), only to have those lands turned murderously against them (with the Sinai somewhat of a notable exception).

The Israelis I know don’t have enough true friends in this world, which is breathtakingly sad, since a more honorable people you will never find upon this earth.

The Israelis I know are kind, generous, quick to laugh, slow to anger, intensely courageous, highly intelligent and extremely innovative. In short, they are the finest group of people I’ve ever encountered, and the only reason that I can think of that they are so universally despised is because of the existence of evil, which has had it out for them since the calling of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob.

And so as I prepare to depart this land which is like a second home to me, I want to say to all of the Israelis that I know (and don’t know): I love you, my wife loves you, our family loves you, our church loves you, and so very many of my compatriots love you.  Please know that you are not alone, and never will be as long as there are those who walk this earth and who still know the difference between Good and Evil.  In my country alone there are more people than there currently are living Israelis who will physically come to your aid should you ever need it.  You have but to ask, and we will be here.

You have friends, you are admired, and you are loved.

The LORD bless you and keep you; the LORD make his face to shine upon you and be gracious to you; the LORD lift up his countenance upon you and give you peace.

Am Yisrael chai.

With deepest respect

Pastor Barry Mahler