Israel Strikes Hezbollah After Passover Rocket Attack; Holocaust Anxiety Rises as Antisemitism Rages

JERUSALEM, Israel – Northern Israel came under Hezbollah attack during the Passover holiday, as an alarming spike in antisemitism is manifesting on U.S. college campuses.

The U.S. Senate passed a measure for $95 billion in war aid Tuesday to Ukraine, Israel, and Taiwan. $26 billion of that amount goes to Israel. Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-KY) hailed the action.

He declared, "History will record that, even as allies and partners may have worried about the depth of our resolve, even as Moscow, Beijing, and Tehran grew more convinced that our influence had run its course, and even as loud voices here at home insisted on abandoning the responsibilities of leadership, America stepped up and the Senate held firm."

Elsewhere in the U.S., antisemitism is skyrocketing. Columbia University in New York City canceled classes on Monday because the campus wasn't safe, particularly for Jewish students.

Aiden Hunter, a Columbia student, noted, "I'd say the majority of my friends, especially Jewish friends, feel a sense of insecurity at this time."

Just a regular day at @Columbia, where a protester encourages students to become martyrs.

The sad part is, this isn’t even shocking anymore. pic.twitter.com/ynnkprseeD

— Israel ישראל  (@Israel) April 24, 2024

Angela Morabito from the Defense of Freedom Institute told CBN News' Gary Lane, "The schools – 100 percent – need to make clear to their students and their faculty that anti-Semitic hate will not be tolerated. They quite rightly should stop admitting people who openly sympathize with terror groups. I think that is a great step one. But in the immediate time right now, these schools need to take an absolute stand that they will protect their Jewish students and they will keep learning going."

Morabito, a former spokesperson in the Trump administration's Department of Education, added, "They're not going to be bullied by these pro-Hamas terrorists into shutting down the operation of their schools because they cannot keep their Jewish students safe."

President Joe Biden did speak out against the protests but also criticized those who aren't pro-Palestinian.

"I condemn the anti-Semitic protests, that's why I've set up a program to deal with that," he said. But then he stated, "I also condemn those who don't understand what's going on with the Palestinians."

American Jews are feeling less safe as antisemitism rages, especially on college campuses and in big cities such as New York.

Former CNN Correspondent Campbell Brown took to social media to announce the step she's taking, posting on X, "I'm on my way to Israel where my two sons will be safer and feel more welcomed than they would be today on the Upper West Side."

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Meanwhile, not all of Israel was quiet on Passover.

Israel Defense Forces eliminated a Hezbollah terrorist the IDF said was heavily involved in planning and executing attacks against Israel and in its aerial unit's routine activities.

Hezbollah launched rockets during the Jewish holiday, and the IDF said its aerial defense array successfully intercepted a "suspicious target" off the coast of northern Israel.

Later, Israel responded with more targeted strikes.

The IDF also announced it has mobilized two reserve brigades for what it called "defensive and tactical missions in the Gaza Strip."

Israel's military is poised to enter the last Gaza stronghold of Rafah.

Some countries have threatened to cut ties with Israel if it enters Rafah and finishes the job of eliminating Hamas as a fighting force and successfully freeing the Hamas-held hostages.

Many Israelis set an empty space at their Seder tables for the hostages and said a prayer for their return.

Psychologist Naomi Mor, who has worked with hostage families from the beginning, told CBN News the conflict has taken many back to the Holocaust.

"Some grandparents have actually experienced the Holocaust," Mor stressed, "and they see, feel, that it's happening again – and others that haven't experienced it but know about it. And we all know so well. It reminds people of land being neglected, – being alone."

She claims everyone in the country is suffering. "You live it six months and you don't know when it's going to end," Mor explained. "And it's like most of your life. It's very, very it's a bad thing because getting used to it is bad."

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