EAGLE, Idaho — As Israel's war against Hamas rages on the other side of the world, right here at home a local group brought in an Israeli solder to share his first-hand experience of the war.
The Idaho Israel Alliance hosted a conversation with Israeli Defense Forces (IDF) veteran Sam Fried to have the community hear his personal story and experiences of the war.
"This is not Jew against Muslim or Israel against Palestine," Fried said. "This is humanity against inhumanity. I think every single person here feels that, and we just need to come together."
Fried is an American-Israeli who volunteered to join the IDF after the events of October 7.
"This is war. War is ugly, it's a terrible thing and it's scarring," Fried said. "I think what I definitely saw was the unity of the Jewish people. And honestly, the unity of all the people here, supporting us in our efforts - which has been tremendously helpful. To feel that support coming from so many different angles and avenues has been everything."
The event was hosted by the Idaho Israel Alliance, which began as a grassroots effort to fight antisemitism in Idaho following October 7.
"We were just really concerned with some of the reaction we were seeing, and some of the misinformation going around," Idaho Israel Alliance Executive Director Whitney Dehaven said.
A group of protestors from a group called Boise to Palestine showed up during the event. Protestors refused to speak with KTVB, but sent the following statement:
"IOF soldiers aren't welcome in Boise. Sam Fried is not a hero. He is returning from serving the illegal settlement of Israel, which is currently committing a genocide in Gaza. Heroes don't murder 15,000 children and flatten cities, and create mass graves on stolen land under the guise of safety and democracy."
Inside the event, a few hundred people were at Restored Community Church in Eagle to watch Fried share his message.
It's empowering," Fried said. "I feel like everything that we see in the news, all the hate and all the encampments and everything going on - that's not the reality. The reality is this. It's support, it's unity"
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