Eastern Iowa rabbi says change needed after Iranian missiles fired at Israel

CEDAR RAPIDS, Iowa (KCRG) – An eastern Iowa rabbi said the recent attack on Israel has taken a toll on his community.

Rabbi Todd Thalblum conducts services at Temple Judah in Cedar Rapids. He said about 80 families come to his synagogue in the southeast of the city. Many of them have close family members in Israel.

Thalblum said his community was preparing for the Jewish New Year, Rosh Hashanah, when he learned of the attack on Tuesday.

“We have been reaching out to the families as much as possible and hearing what is really going on and what their morale is locally,” he said.

Iranian leaders said they fired dozens of rockets at Israel, which was met with counter-defense. Thalblum said it sparked a new sense of fear in the community.

“As the centuries go by, things open up and things get bad for the Jews,” he said. “There is always this fear, even in a place where we feel safe or things are going really well; Something will change, and it must.”

As Thalblum continued to prepare for the Jewish New Year and the High Holidays, he said the violence must eventually end.

“Something big has to change, and the ultimate goal must be two states in which two people live together in peace and have self-determination and autonomy for each other,” Rabbi Thalblum said. “That’s the only way forward, which is to find a way to make this happen.”

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