CLICK TO HEAR JACK HALL’S INTERVIEW WITH DAVID IBN EZRA
For most of us, the war between Israel and the terror group Hamas is something we see when we turn on the news at night. It’s a half world away, and most people don’t have a connection to the conflict, unless, perhaps, it leads to a spike in gasoline prices.
But for David Ibn Ezra, what’s going on right now is all too real. He is studying here in Michigan, after attending Bay College in Escanaba and playing on the Norse baseball team for two years. He was on the Dean’s List for high academic excellene at Bay in the Winter of 2021.
Now, he’s studying at Lawrence Tech University in the Detroit suburb of Southfield and is continuing a baseball career that has seen him proudly represent Israel in international baseball competitions.
He is from Tel Aviv, and his family and friends are living this nightmare every day, every night, around the clock.
“We are about 50 miles from the Gaza Strip, where the rockets are being fired,” Ibn Ezra said of his family back home. “Fortunately, we get about 90 seconds warning until a missile can actually hit. It gives us enough time to get into a shelter or a safe space like a basement. Most of the rockets get intercepted by the Iron Dome defense system. But you really can’t get too far from home.”
Ibn Ezra says the amount of fear among people in his country is severe, along with uncertainty, every single day.
“You have to limit going out, only for getting necessities, like going to the store or getting medical services,” he said. “People are pretty much staying at their homes right now. Sports are canceled. People are working from home, or not working at all. People can’t live their daily lives right now. It’s all brought to a halt.”
Ibn Ezra has a message for people who question whether Israel is to blame for the attacks, or whether they’re exaggerating about babies being decapitated and hostages being burned alive.
“There’s videos out there that those terrorists took of them doing those horrible acts of terror, and uploading on-line. They’re taking pride in what they did. So, it’s not anything fabricated. It’s not fake. They upload the videos and it’s shocking videos. I don’t advise anyone to go and see those videos because they’re so graphic,” Ibn Ezra said.
”I’ve been exposed to some of those videos and they’ve really scarred me. But if you don’t believe it’s real, then they’re out there. There’s videos of women being paraded in the streets into Gaza, hostages, and being killed,” he added. “Videos of families in their homes, moments before they are abducted. It’s all facts.”
Ibn Ezra says the death count that you hear every day on numbers of Israelis and numbers of Palestinians killed don’t tell the whole story.
“There’s so many people that are missing,” he said. “You keep seeing information about people who are missing and are found dead. I’m really dreading the moment when I get a notice of that about someone that I know. I’ve already had people very close to me who have lost family and friends. That’s really devastating.”
Ibn Ezra says his country needs as much support as possible.
“There’s a lot of misinformation out there on-line,” Ibn Ezra said. “The side that supports the terror is very loud. “They’re not doing anything to protect their people in Gaza. They’re using their civilians as human shields and shooting rockets from hospitals and schools.”
And even though he’s half of a world away, and safe here in Michigan, Ibn Ezra says his mind isn’t really on his studies and baseball here. He’s thinking about home.
“I can’t stay off the news for even one hour,” he said. “Every moment of my day, I’m checking the news and seeing what’s going on. Sitting in class, I have my phone on and I’m getting updates. I really can’t stay away from checking the news. It’s really hard.”
And his message to people here in the Upper Peninsula?
“Anything you can do to support Israel, to spread the word of showing support, that’s very important, on social media or any platform. So, that’s one thing that I can say to the people of the U.P.”
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