AMHERST, N.Y. (WKBW) — The Jewish Community Center of Greater Buffalo in Amherst held a prayer vigil Monday evening in support of Israel.
This comes after the sneak attack on the Jewish Sabbath Day where hundreds of people were killed.
The impact is being felt in Western New York as a vigil was held for people who have family and friends in Israel facing the terrors by Hamas.
“We’re not dealing with a regular enemy. We’re dealing with monsters who did things that we can’t even speak of,” says Elisha Amiri, a UB student and active Israeli Army Reserves. “It’s not just Gaza Hamas. It could be Russia, or Iran behind it. Russia has a big part in training the troops. This is not the Hamas we’ve seen before.”
But the big question for many Western New Yorkers is why.
“It’s because of fanatic religion. It’s because the exact reasons why ISIS is doing what they’re doing, Al Qaeda is doing what they’re doing,” says Gon Erez, a chief program officer at the Jewish Community Center of Greater Buffalo. “It’s the same exact reason. Anyone who says it’s a conflict about land is wrong.”
7 News reporter Jaurdyn Johnson spoke with a Palestinian American who says the conflict goes back decades.
"Everybody believes what they see on TV so when they say the Palestinians or Hamas attacked Israel that’s what they’re going to believe,” says Ali Khalil. “But we've been under attacked for 80 years. All we’re doing is defending ourselves. Nothing more. Nothing less.”
Amiri, a computer science student at the University at Buffalo tells 7 News reporter Yoselin Person when the attack happened he was quick to call one of his close friends who was at a music festival and luckily survived the horror.
“He said that when it started everyone started flocking. The terrorists blocked the road waiting for a traffic jam to form,” he says. “And saw an efficient amount of cars and started shooting everywhere and people were hiding anywhere they could find.”
Amiri being an active Israeli Army Reserves may be dropping his books to go defend his country.
“All my friends were drafted. My younger brother he’s 18 he’s about to go to the army as well cause it’s mandatory,” he says. “But I will not sit here and do nothing and see my brothers are fighting for the freedom of my country.”
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