In the immediate aftermath of Hamas’ attack on Israel last Oct. 7, tensions could be felt far from the Gaza Strip.
In Massachusetts, religious leaders were on alert during services at their synagogues and mosques.
Residents called for the release of Israeli hostages and worried about friends trapped in Gaza, unable to get home.
Protesters called on elected officials, businesses and institutions to address the conflict.
And as the Israel-Hamas war continued over the course of the year, it also continued to shape daily life in Massachusetts.
Abood Okal, Wafaa Abuzayda and their 1-year-old son Yousef left their home in Medway, Massachusetts, to visit relatives in Gaza. After Oct. 7, they found refuge in a single-family home with around 40 other people.
Every day at dawn, friend and legal advocate Sammy Nabulsi would check in on the family from Boston to see how they were doing. He said the family attempted to cross the border three times following instructions from the U.S. State Department, but were turned away each time.
Nabulsi said the family increasingly felt “abandoned by their government.”
After more than a month in Gaza, last November, the family was finally able to cross the Rafah border into Egypt.
“Their emotions are mixed today,” Nabulsi said, “because they’re thinking about the American citizens who are still there, and all the innocent civilians who will not have an opportunity to leave, who are stuck there under constant bombardment.”
‘This has been a nightmare’ Massachusetts family escapes Gaza as Israeli attacks intensify | Tori Bedford
Some students who found themselves on deeply divided college campuses worried about their safety.
Jana Amin, an Egyptian American Muslim who was involved in pro-Palestinian activism, was scared after seeing her image on the doxxing truck that drove around campus labeling her as one of “Harvard’s leading antisemites.”
“Might someone recognize me from the truck and then choose to take it a step further and turn to violence?” Amin said. “This is our home, too.”
MIT graduate student Talia Khan, the daughter of an American Jewish mother and Afghan Muslim father, said some of her former friends blocked her on social media after she became outspoken in her support of Israel.
“They didn’t want to listen. They wanted to stay in their bubble,” she said.
On campus, Jewish and Muslim students fear for their safety | Kirk Carapezza
The Israel-Hamas conflict highlighted generational fault lines. Ariel Hendelman, the spiritual leader for B’nai Or of Boston, organized an event to help bridge that gap and support congregants with differing views on the war.
“They were having pain over not being able to talk about the situation in Israel and Gaza with their children, who are in their 20s and 30s,” Hendelman said.
Many American Jews in their 60s and 70s have personal ties to the history of Zionism, including the establishment of the state of Israel after World War II.
“And I think from the perspective of those in their 20s and 30s, there is more of a call for a reckoning with that; an end to the Zionist project altogether, in [the thinking] that a free Palestine can’t exist side by side with the Zionist dream,” Hendelman said.
For many Jews in Boston, conflict abroad has exposed generational fault lines at home | Jenn Moore
When a temporary ceasefire and hostage exchange was announced in late November, Jason Greenberg of Needham was hoping that three of his relatives would be among those released.
His cousin, Ofer Kalderon, and Ofer’s children Sahar and Erez, had been held hostage by Hamas for more than a month.
Late on Thanksgiving night, Greenberg got word that the Kalderons would not be part of the first hostage exchange.
“I am elated for those families that are able to welcome their loved ones home,” said Greenberg. “I just hope that in the coming days and weeks all of the rest of the hostages will be able to come out.”
Sahar and Erez were released several days later. As of late summer, Ofer Kalderon remained in captivity.
On Black Friday, dozens of pro-Palestinian demonstrators protested outside the Puma store at Somerville’s Assembly Row as part of a national campaign to diminish sales for companies with financial ties to Israel.
Puma, according to a company statement, supplies the Israeli national soccer teams with branded equipment to play in international competitions.
“We want to make sure they don’t have a record sales day today,” said Ki-jana Carter, an organizer with the Party for Socialism and Liberation who helped coordinate Friday’s demonstration.
On Black Friday, pro-Palestinian protesters boycott Puma over ties to Israel | Saraya Wintersmith and Matt Baskin
Salim Marhamo, who emigrated from Lebanon more than 30 years ago, now owns a meat and seafood store at Boston’s Haymarket. It’s a hard place to work while fasting during Ramadan this past spring. But he believes the struggle is worth it, especially amid the ongoing war and humanitarian crisis in Gaza.
“I live in a war for 15 years in Lebanon. And I know what it mean and what the impact on the human being and on the family and on the environment,” Marhamo said. “I pray to God that this war stop and peace come back.”
During the holy month, Marhamo also has his own tradition: Setting up a table in the middle of the store to sit down with his employees for Iftar, the daily ritual of breaking fast.
Selling food while fasting: How vendors at Boston’s Haymarket observe Ramadan | Sam Turken
In April, activism on college campuses was thrust into the national spotlight.
Students at Emerson College held rallies and set up an encampment in an alleyway to demand transparency about the use of the college’s endowment and divestment from any companies that supported Israel’s military action in Gaza.
In the early hours of April 25, Boston Police officers arrested protesters during an overnight sweep of the encampment. Both students and police said they were injured during the clash.
“I was thrown to the ground with a knee on my back,” said a student who was arrested and asked to remain anonymous.
In police camera footage provided to GBH News by the Boston Police Department, Captain Sean Martin addressed the crowd before the clearing began, facing hundreds of students standing together in a blockade across the entrance of the alleyway.
“We don’t want anyone to get hurt. We don’t want anyone to get screwed up in school with, with grades or whatever, missing finals,” Martin said. “... So, I’m trying to work with you all. Trust me, we’re not the enemy on this. We’re indifferent.”
108 arrested during ‘horrific’ police sweep of Emerson College pro-Palestine encampment | Tori Bedford, Mark Herz and Matt Baskin
Approximately 210 protesters combined were arrested at Emerson College and Northeastern University over the course of a few days in late April.
The first of those protesters to be arraigned was Kyler Shinkle-Stolar, who was arrested two days before the larger encampment clearing at Northeastern.
The district judge ordered Shinkle-Stolar to complete 20 hours of community service and issued a stay-away order that allowed him to enter the Northeastern campus only on “official business,” including classes.
First student arraigned in Boston area pro-Palestine student protests receives community service | Tori Bedford
Nearly two weeks after pro-Palestinian protesters first set up tents on MIT’s Kresge lawn, the Israel American Council of New England organized a rally across the street to share their views on the war and call on the university to clear the encampment.
Students, faculty and community members addressed the hundreds of people gathered, surrounded by Israeli flags and pictures of those held hostage by Hamas, as the crowd repeatedly chanted “free them all,” and “Am Yisrael Chai.”
“We came here today in very large numbers to remind everyone that we are loud, we are proud, and we are unapologetically Zionist,” MIT post-doctoral fellow Dvir Harris said from the stage. “Their [pro-Palestine protesters’] rabid antisemitism, combined with poor leadership of our institutions, have awakened the Jewish community to fight back against moral and legal injustices. Are you paying attention yet? We are just getting started.”
Counter-protesters rally outside pro-Palestine encampment at MIT | Tori Bedford
As campus protests wore on, many universities issued deadlines for students to clear out or face disciplinary action.
Safiyyah Ogundipe was determined to remain at the encampment as long as possible, despite the risk of not finishing her degree.
“It is scary because it does affect your future,” Ogundipe said. “But it’s nothing compared to what we are fighting for, which is to fight for a better future for the people in Gaza. I think that’s all that really matters.”
Facing suspension, MIT protesters vow to maintain encampment | Tori Bedford
When Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu began his controversial speech to Congress in late July, several members of Massachusetts’ all-Democratic congressional delegation were conspicuously absent.
“I don’t think he should be here in Washington,” Rep. Jim McGovern told GBH News, referring to Netanyahu. “I think he should be in Israel, trying to get the hostages released and trying to get a peace deal and a way forward. This war has to come to an end.”
Majority of Mass. delegation skips Netanyahu’s speech to Congress | Adam Reilly
Members of Massachusetts’ Lebanese community say their family members still in Lebanon are facing extreme conditions as Israel’s military offensive against Hezbollah militants continues.
Hiba Fawaz lived in Lebanon until five years ago, but lives in Boston now. Fawaz said her family is not trying to escape the country — they just want to go home.
“My parents have no interest at all to leave Lebanon. I mean, it’s their country. That’s where their home is,” she said. “They’re actually hoping at some point very soon, they all go back to their homes.”
Local families fear for loved ones displaced in Lebanon | Magdiela Matta
