Weekly Spokesletter: On Holocaust, October 7, and Jewish history denial
The war on the Jews is a war on the truth. We're fighting back.
Dear Global Spokescommunity,
This week was Yom HaShoah in Israel, when the nation stood still to remember the six million Jews murdered by Nazi Germany and their accomplices. The scale of the genocide remains unfathomable. As citizen spokesman Daniel Rubenstein writes on X, around one-quarter of the Jews murdered in the Nazi genocide were killed in just 92 days. Operation Reinhard, the Nazi plan to eliminate Polish Jewry, lasted 21 months, but in August-October 1942, it annihilated at least 1.32 million Jews. That’s twelve October 7 Massacres every day for three months. That was the Holocaust, and Yom HaShoah should energize us to resist efforts to trivialize or even deny it.
I started Yom HaShoah on Channel 13’s morning panel show. Host Shai Golden interviewed Holocaust and October 7 survivor Tzipa Rubin. When Hamas death squads invaded her community, Nir Oz, she hid under her bed—and they set her house on fire. Hundreds of Holocaust survivors were forced to flee their homes. Some, like Michael Kupershtein, still have grandchildren who are hostages in Gaza. Rubin said on TV: “It was a Holocaust at the start of my life, and a Holocaust at the end of my life.” It is chilling that Hamas has traumatized our survivors in this way.
We started the panel discussion with the question whether it’s appropriate to compare October 7 to the Holocaust. First off — nothing can ever be compared to the Holocaust, even if the savagery and evil of Hamas is reminiscent of the Nazis, and even if the trauma gave survivors flashbacks to those wartime horrors. Not only that, but there is a fundamental difference that makes October 7 all the more disturbing: it was a genocidal assault not against Jews as a helpless minority in a foreign land, but against Jews who should have enjoyed the protection of their own sovereign state. So for many reasons, no, this is not the 1930s and this is not the Holocaust. But we are clearly confronting a global war against the Jews, and this war has confronted us with an evil on a par with the Nazis’. The difference is, this time we are not helpless. We can take our fate in our own hands. That is a momentous responsibility.
Also this week, Palestinian Authority Chairman Mahmoud Abbas, who holds a doctorate in Holocaust denial, peddled the bizarre myth that the ancient Jewish temples were in Yemen. Maybe he’s trying to make Israel the Houthis’ problem, I don’t know. So it was as good a time as any to visit the extraordinary heritage site of the City of David, with fellow citizen spokesman Doron Spielman, who is about to release a book When the Stones Speak (preorder now). We went deep underground, to places that tourists never go, going right back to the remains of the First Temple complex (yes, really). We’re working to bring some incredible archaeological discoveries to you.
Follow on social media to catch our series Indiana Jews and the City of David.
International flights are back on, and there has never been a better time to visit Israel. Whether you’re coming as a family or on a solidarity mission, I’m available to brief you on the latest developments. Want to talk? Reach out and let’s set a date.
Am Yisrael Chai,
Eylon Levy
Head, Israeli Citizen Spokespersons’ Office
This week’s media appearances focused on the incident on March 23, when IDF forces opened fire on what turned out to be Red Crescent ambulances. Israel investigated the case at the highest level of the military. It found the incident was due to “professional failures” by soldiers who thought their lives were in danger, and it dismissed a deputy battalion commander for his role in the incident and for misleading investigators.
I went on Times Radio in the UK to explain that the IDF did what no terrorist group would ever do—openly admit a tragic mistake and hold those responsible accountable. I explained that by fighting out of civilian clothes and even ambulances, Hamas has created a battlefield designed to trick Israeli soldiers, which ensures that mistakes based on misidentification will inevitably happen.
Fleur Hassan-Nahoum, Israel Special Envoy for Trade & Innovation went on Sky News to explain:
🚑 For decades, Hamas has weaponized humanitarian infrastructure—using ambulances, hospitals, and aid organizations as cover for terror—yet Hamas is granted impunity by those who turn a blind eye to its systematic abuse of international law.
Doron Spielman, Maj. (Res.) IDF Spokesperson’s Unit, also went on Sky News:
🕵️♀️ Even amid an intense war with thousands of Hamas terrorists targeting Israeli civilians, the IDF took the extraordinary step of pausing to conduct a full investigation, acknowledging a grave mistake and holding commanders accountable—something no terror group would ever do.
🚨 Hamas has a long, documented history of abusing ambulances and humanitarian vehicles for terror operations; the IDF identified links between multiple individuals in the convoy and Hamas, reinforcing the tragic complexity of urban warfare.
📜 Unlike terrorist organizations that thrive on lies and denial, Israel openly corrects itself—releasing evidence that contradicted earlier reports and proving again that its military operates with transparency, integrity, and a relentless pursuit of truth, even under fire.
We need your help to continue making the case for Israel.
Since January 1, the Israeli Citizen Spokespersons’ Office has conducted over 200 interviews on international media. But we can’t do this alone. We nee the support of our Global Spokescommunity. We’re very close to reaching our crowdfunding goal of $180,000. Thanks to a generous anonymous donor, every dollar you give will be matched. Help us continue to ensure that Israelis’ voices are being heard wherever our country is being discussed. Click here to contribute to our critical effort.
Guy M., an Anonymous IDF Combat Medic from Israel’s Elite Unit 669 on the Complexity of Modern Warfare
This week on State of a Nation, it’s part 2 of my conversation with “Guy M.”, an IDF combat medic in Israel’s secret rescue unit. It’s so secret that Guy’s face is blurred. In a world determined to demonize Israeli soldiers, we want to show you the humanity of the extraordinary citizens who have to switch every other week between normal life and reserve duty—even when it means briefly leaving Gaza for your own wedding.
Guy is the author of The Rescue: October 7 Through the Eyes of Israel’s Pararescue Commandos (English translation by yours truly), which offers an unparalleled glimpse into the IDF’s Unit 669 and how they scrambled to save Israel in its darkest hour.
🔥 Missed Part 1?
Inside Israel’s Elite Rescue Unit | IDF Soldier’s Story of Survival (Pt.1)
Subscribe now on YouTube, Apple Podcasts, Spotify to catch more conversations… Like, share and subscribe!
On Yom HaShoah, we remember not only the victims of the Holocaust — we salute the heroes who resisted the Nazis. That’s why the full name is “Yom HaZikaron LaShoah VeLaGevurah” — Remembrance Day for the Holocaust and Heroism.
