KNOXVILLE, Tenn. — Israel declared war against the Palestinian militant group Hamas after an attack over the weekend that caught the Israeli military by surprise. The impacts of the war can be felt in Knoxville, more than 6,000 miles away.
Mayor Indya Kincannon shared a Facebook post mourning the loss of an Israeli mayor, who she met earlier this year in Israel at a conference.
"He was murdered while trying to protect his community from the terrorist attack this weekend. Reports are that his family was taken hostage," she said in the post.
Mayor Kincannon says the City of Knoxville is doing what it can to monitor the public safety of Jewish, Arab and Muslim communities in the city.
"I reached out over the weekend to the National Jewish Alliance, and, you know, we've also been updated by the Department of Homeland Security about any potential threats in Knoxville. And thankfully, at this point, you know, we are exercising extra caution and asking people to be alert and if you see something, say something," said Kincannon.
A Jewish community leader says as of right now, he hasn't heard of any recent threats being made toward the Knoxville Jewish community.
"Knoxville Jewish communities have been here in Knoxville, for 75 years, depending on who you ask," said Stephen Rosen, the president of the Knoxville Jewish Community Foundation. "And we faced very moderate amounts of anti-Semitism. Really, not much at all. A few incidences here and there in our history, and not really anything that we're aware of in the last few days, though we do know that temperatures go up in the United States and in smaller communities like this when there is activity in Israel, between itself and its neighbors, so it wouldn't be unheard of. But as of the moment, everything seems to be normal, but we'll see how that progresses."
He says he hopes the violence from overseas does not make its way to Knoxville.
"You can see it sure happened on Saturday in Israel, and we wouldn't want it to happen in Knoxville. But this is a nice environment. Knoxville is a good place," said Rosen.
Pastor Melad Gergis, of the Arabic Church of Knoxville, also shared a statement with WBIR. It is available below.
"The region of the Middle East/North Africa is undergoing a series of rapid and dangerous events. As a church, we are continually praying for all parties involved and for God’s peace to fill a region that is deprived of it. As Middle Eastern Christians, we hope and pray for peace in our homelands. Our church and community in Knoxville has received nothing but love, appreciation, and support from local communities and American churches. Our congregation consists of Arab refugees and immigrants that have been welcomed and served with love. We have not experienced any racism or discrimination for worshiping here. We pray for the lost innocent lives on both sides of the conflict, and for the innocent bloodshed to stop."