They are good things.
We will share some good news, but we also have some sobering topics to discuss, and one of those I want to just jump right into because I've got a great guest joining us here, and as many of you know, a week ago yesterday was a horrific attack in Boulder where the person who was from Egypt here illegally through Molotov cocktails and to a crowd of individuals who were simply there helping people remember the hostages that were taken six hundred and thirteen days ago by Hamas in a
brutal attack. And it is time for us to make sure we all understand that we have a role to play to de escalate the anti Semitism that is going on, the normalization of violence and standing up for those who are trying to read individuals like this out.
Of our country.
Well.
Joining me today is a dear friend, someone who is a patriot.
He serves on the South Metro.
Fire District Board, has served in many different ways. He is an American citizen, has lived in Israel and is always helping us have a perspective.
On what is really going on. And that is Rich Socle Rich, thank you so much. For joining me. I appreciate it.
Hey, it's my pleasure to be with you. I wish you could be under better circumstances.
Yes, I know, one of these times I'm going to have you come on. You're a really funny guy, and sometimes we're going to have you come on and just tell jokes. But that is not today, unfortunately. You know, I just want to jump right into it with you.
Rich.
Over the years that I've done radio, you and I've been on the air right after October seventh, I want people to remember that day because when we forget the horrors of that attack, that barberism, just give us a very quick overview again of what happened that day, Rich, how many people were killed by hamas and those are brittal attacks, how many hostages Sarah.
Thank you. So we actually should go back to nineteen forty eight when Israel was formed. Five Arab argies attacked Israel on the day of it declared its independence, and no one thought Israel would win because they were outnumbered one hundred and one outgunn outmanned out everything. And yet they want But unfortunately there's still been a large part of the Arab population that does not accept the existence of a Jewish state in their mins, so they are
sworn to its destruction. And they have been fighting Israel basically ever since. There's in several wars. So most people in Israel think of this as just a continuation of Israel's war for existence. So on October seventh, Hamas which
is the Islamic terrorist group. Hamas means Islamic resistance movement, and they control the Kaza Strip after Israel unilatterally pulled out and gave it to the Gazans that unfortunately, they voted in Hamas, which is an internationally recognized terrorist organization and has amass ruled the Gaza Strip since two thousand
and seven. And instead of building power plants and infrastructure and airports, Hamas instead has built tunnels to house their terrorists and to house their weapons and set up their communications network. And HAMAS has been attacking Israel on and off ever since they took power in two thousand and seven. Yeah, confederation, And.
One thing I want to point out real quickly when people talk about the civilian casualties in Gaza Strip, those tunnels were purposely built under schools and under hospitals where HAMAS has used human shields, So so many of the casualties were because of the way Hamasa that that was purposeful, that was intentional, and I just want to make that point. But let's know, I think you were leading up to October seventh.
So on October seventh, Hamas again attack, and this time, unfortunately, they were much more successful than they had in the past, and roughly three thousand terrorists breached the fence that separates ca Isral from Gaza, and they overran several military posts nearby. They overran several communities nearby, killing all the inhabitants people.
I'm store aware of the music festival. They were in the large music festival going on nearby, and paragliders from Hamasque came in and killed hundreds of young people who were accept The theme of the music festival was peace and love. Unfortunately Hamas didn't get that memo, and on that day, roughly twelve hundred Israeli civilians were killed and two hundred and fifty five were taken hostage back to Gaza.
Well, and then you mentioned yeah, go ahead, no go ahead, for no continue and we know.
Right now, as you mentioned, there's still fifty five hostages left inside Gaza, in the tunnels of Gaza As. Some of them have been rescued or released in prisoner in swaps. We hear the stories of how they are literally tortured. They're literally starved, they're chained. The average food is in you know, a piece of moldy bread a day. They're being brutalized by their captors, and some of them, when they've been released, they literally look like they've come out
of a concentration camp. Yeah. So Hamas is brutal, brutal, brutal, And why the world doesn't see this is beyond me.
Yeah, you know, And one one quick thing when when you see everybody, I feel like the world is looking for a cause, but they're embracing the wrong ones, you know, embracing and standing up for people who are here illegally, not all of whom are criminals, but many are. If you want to cause to stand up for, let's stand against a true barbarism that is happening. The fact that you know, you and I've talked to Rich, we've seen
the unedited Hamas body cam footage. There is no moral equivalency here between anything other than Hamas and pure barbarism.
Terrorism, horrific activities.
So now we go to Boulder a little bit over a week ago, and this was a group called Run for their Lives. I think it's a great name because the fifty five remaining hostages, now six hundred and thirteen days in captivity, cannot run for their lives. So this is the only reason that they were there. And then you have this horrendous attack by an Egyptian national who was here illegally.
Let's talk about something you brought up.
An interesting point, by the way, because people are always looking at an instance and trying to fit into whatever narrative they want to push.
So you know, obviously this happened in Boulder.
The individual traveled all the way up from Colorado Sprains. Can you talk about what you found interesting about that?
Sure? So we know the perpetrate came from Colorado Springs and he drove all the way up. I twenty five asked Denver to Boulder to commit this attack. Now, the group Run for Their Lives has two walks here every Sunday. One is actually in wash Park here in Denver, and the other is in Bolder. So the perpetrator throw literally on I twenty five asked the wash Park march and went all the way up to Boulder. So the question is why did he do that? Why didn't he just
go to the closer one in wash Park? And we don't know the answer, of course, but people are speculating it's because of the difference in concealed carry laws between Denver and Boulder. So in Denver and public spaces, you were allowed to conceal carry. In Boulder you are not. So what struck me when I saw the videos of
what happened when he threw the molotov cocktails. There are literally people on the ground, his victims, these peaceful marchers on the ground on fire, and other people nearby, of course, are getting water and trying to bounce the fires out. Meanwhile the perpetrator is just walking back and forth, nearly ten feet away from where the people are that he just set on fire, and no one's taking the guy out. We got very lucky last Sunday, and that he threw
two molotov cocktails. He had over a dozen more with him that he could have thrown. Because you know, the police are great. The first responders got there pretty quickly, but it still took three minutes from the first nine to one call to the time the police apprehended him. Think about the damage he could have done in that three minutes.
Yeah, so yeah, that's a huge point.
There was someone if there had been someone there who could have taken the guy out. In retrospect, I wish, of course there would have been, But yeah, I think, you know, we have to recognize what our laws are and why this guy went to Boulder instead of doing this in Denver.
Yeah, you and I were talking about people this are evil and I don't use that word very often, but certainly in this case, I don't know another word that I could possibly use. But they're not stupid. And that's the same case when you look at there were a theater shooter went past numerous theaters closer to his home and went to one specifically that was a quote unquote gun free zone. They know where to go to have maximum damage. And the horrific perpetrator of this action in Boulder,
as we know, had been denied a permit. It can still carry permit. But once again, that actually proves the point. It doesn't matter the method of destruction that someone uses.
It matters the person and their intent.
Whether it's people driving cars into gatherings, whether it is someone now doing homemade molotov cocktails. If to desire and the hate is there, they will find a way no matter what the.
Tool they use.
And like you said, you know antisecond Amendment can still carry. Anti can seal carry laws only keep the good people from carrying the weapons, not those who wish to do ill. I want to talk about this aspect, Rich, because I know I can imagine, and I've got many friends like you are who are Jewish, and what this rise in
anti Semitism, how it's impacting you. And I want people to hear this directly, and I want anyone listening to put yourself in the position of someone who is Jewish today, a parent.
A grandparent.
Rise of anti Semitism has risen by almost nine hundred percent in the last ten years in our country. The Anti Defamation League has said that in Colorado nearly four hundred percent and five years. You're a parent, Rich, tell me what this is like and whether it's doing to so many in your community.
So there is just out and outphere right now in our community, Jewish people feel very unsafe. I know yesterday I was at synagogue and at all synagogue events now and my synagogue we have to have an arm guard. You know, five years ago we didn't have an arm guard. And that's just not my synagogue, that's every synagogue in America basically now has to have arm guard. We have people trained at our synagogue that patrol the grounds, that carry just so that we're prepared in case something happens.
But I think even more so than just that, we also fear for our children. So, for example, one of my children is going to the East Coast on Wednesday to a Jewish leadership seminar, and my wife and I are having the discussion should she wear anything that identifies her as being Jewish. She wears a Star of David around her neck, so we're discussing whether or not, seeing the other kids she's going with, should they even wear that, because if they're identified as Jewish, they could be at risk.
We know other Jewish families, most Jewish families, on their doorposts, on their front door to their homes, they have what's called a mezuzza, which is a squirrel with a prayer inside. A lot of the Jewish families are now thinking of taking down their missizzas because they don't want anyone to know that their Jews because they may be at risk. Now let me say against this. I think by doing those things, we let the terrorists win, and we have
never let the terrorist win. We can't alter what we do. We need to stand up, stand strong, stand louds down proud. But the fear is still there. And who would have thought this could have happened in our backyard, dead up the road. Yeah, you know it takes a flamethrow and throwsmallo tough cocktails at elderly people who are just marching, you know, for release of hostages. And by the way,
that people want to know for the march. You could be any political persuasion, and there are people on the left, there are people on the right. This is not a political state about the Israeli cause of war. All it was was we want to bring attention to the hostages and get our hostages home. There's no other political statement than that. Yeah, and yet the guy who did this wanted to kill Zionis, who wanted to kill Jews.
Yeah, I agree, and he made that very clear. And I'm grateful that for once, when we see an attack like this, there isn't this long pause of what we're.
Trying to figure out his motive.
He said what his motive was, he wanted to kill Zionists in any way anywhere he could.
I want to end with this, Rich And if.
You're tuning in Deborah Floor sitting in for Mandy Connell, my guest, Rich Sokele. You know you pointed out that people that were there in Bolder a week ago and also then yesterday, therefore a positive, peaceful reason standing up for releasing of hostages, you know, not realizing that that's what that was about, or maybe did and didn't care.
But people need to know that.
You know, when we talk about the moral equivalency of and I'll share after the break a story when I was at the Holocau.
Museum this past weekend.
But this moral equivalency where they're trying to say, oh, you know, well, Israel killed individuals in Gaza, which we've just stated was really Hamash using them as human shields. The whole moral equivalency idea, which is false. Can you share something beautiful that you talked with me about of what the true Jewish goal is? And as a Christian, by the way, kind of a grafted mind, it's my goal as well.
You just said it so beautifully.
So we as Jewish people that believe that God gave us a purpose, and that purpose is coined in the Hebrew phrase tikun olam. Tikun means to repair and olam means the world. So we believe the purpose, the reason for the Jewish people is to repair the world wherever we see injustice, wherever we see suffering, and so many of us have dedicated our lives to that, so we know we have a long ways to go, and of
course we invite all peoples to join us. And this is not just a Jewish cause, it's a human cause. And we're also taught that we may not be able to solve every problem in the world, nor are we allowed to refrain from trying. So we do our part and we hope others follow us until we can create a better and more perfect world. Yeah, and that's what we try and do, and that's what we urge others to join us, and hopefully we lead by example.
Well, I tell you, I know I'm joining you. I know many others will, And that is really one of the reasons why I want to end with that rich because it's such a beautiful way for listeners to understand the tamping down of this hate, of this anti semitism, of this dehumanizing, of this normalization of violence. It's going to take every single one of us and you and I've talked a lot about there's two battlefields here for what's going on, the fight against the barbarism in the Gaza strip.
There is the actual battlefield, the.
Military battlefield, and then there's a battlefield a public opinion, and every one of us can be a part of that and say this is wrong, this is a human goal, and let's join with the beautiful Jewish statement of tikun.
Olam to repair the world. I think that's beautiful. Thank you, Rich.
We're heading to a break, but I so appreciate you joining, my friend, and I want you to know I'm speaking for myself, but I know I'm speaking for many others. We are praying for you, We're praying for our Jewish brothers and sisters in this country, and we will work together to get to a point where no one needs to feel like they're afraid for their children if they wear something expressing their identity or their faith.
So thank you so much, my friend, Bev.
Thank you. If your listeners want to join us at Run for their Lives at the walk, it's Denver's ten am on Sundame Boulders at eleven am. You could just google it, but that's a tangible way that you can say we stand for good, we stand for fixing our world, and we stand against terrorists.
Here here, we will be there, we will be joining you.
So thank you for that. Thank you, Rich We're heaving to your break you take care and God.
Bless you, God bless you, Thank you, thank you. Bye bye. Well, don't go anywhere.
When we come back, we're going to talk a little bit more about this, but I want us all to think about that phrase. Take kun olam repair the world. We are not responsible for doing it solely. God ultimately has to do it. But the reality is we are not off the hook for doing our best in that area and we can.
That's a hopeful part.
We come back, we'll continue that conversation if you want to text in five six six nine zero. That's five six six nine zero. This is Deborah Flora sitting in for Mandy Connell.