This week, Jewish Columbus marked 500 days since Hamas attacked Israel on Oct. 7, 2023 during the Nova Music Festival by hosting a survivor of the attack.
Rita Yedid, of Israel, was at the festival when the attack happened. Her husband shielded her from the bullets and was shot three times. Both Yedid and her husband survived.
Yedid spoke with WOSU's Debbie Holmes.
Debbie Holmes: How are you doing?
Rita Yedid: Now that I'm here in Columbus...much better, much better. I must say that today it's a very difficult day with the return of the hostages, four of them dead. And it's a pretty tough day. And together with having such a tough day, I think that today it's the most important day to stay strong and believe that we have to continue looking forward.
Debbie Holmes: What do you remember about the attack?
Rita Yedid: The most memorable time for me was hearing the terrorists coming after me. I heard them calling that God is great and they're coming to slaughter all the Jews. And I just think that that was the moment of understanding that I'm about to die. I'm about to not stay on this planet. I would probably not see my son anymore. And then they shot us, and they were spraying bullets all over our caravan where we were hiding, those moments of silence, truly feeling that I'm not getting out of it.
Debbie Holmes: And so, you were not taken hostage. Is that correct?
Rita Yedid: Thank God. Thank God I wasn't.
Debbie Holmes: And your husband was not either?
Rita Yedid: No.
Debbie Holmes: Okay. But did you know family and friends that were taken?
Rita Yedid: Yes, definitely a lot of our friends from the community. Yes, we knew a lot of friends and unfortunately those who have I known personally didn't survive in captivity.
Debbie Holmes: And was that several people or how many people do you know for sure?
Rita Yedid: I don't know what to tell you for sure. For this moment, I can tell you that anyone that came to the Nova party, and is part of my community and stayed there on that land or was taken hostage and couldn't come back, it's definitely a big hole in my heart and understanding that that could have been me so easily.
Debbie Holmes: Israel launched a war in Gaza which continued until last month. Do you support its actions, and do you think it's been effective?
Rita Yedid: I definitely support the action. I think that Israel did not launch the war. Hamas launched the war and Israel had to defend herself and stand with her people to tell you that I'm agreeing with everything they've done. I think that we didn't do enough. We had to be stronger, more powerful, more precise in our attacks. And unfortunately, we see today how many of them still left and how large and absolutely unhuman an organization they are when they are releasing our hostages among all the thousands of terrorists around them.
Debbie Holmes: There have been some criticisms of the bombings that pummeled civilian areas in Gaza. What are your thoughts on the criticism and what's happened there?
Rita Yedid: Who has the right to criticize us when thousands of terrorists came straight into Gaza, slaughtering people from the right to the left, not even paying attention. If it's a woman, if she's pregnant, if it's a child, they just set everyone on fire. And I don't think that anyone has the right to tell me how I should defend myself when someone just surprisingly comes and attacks me and abuses me and want to just take my life just for being Jewish.
Debbie Holmes: There's been a ceasefire now and Hamas has released some hostages after killing some of them as well. And Israel has released some political prisoners. What would you like to see now?
Rita Yedid: That Hamas and all the Gazan people will be evacuated from the land of Israel and give us some peace, finally, maybe.
Debbie Holmes: Now President Trump has proposed to move out all Palestinians in Gaza and make Gaza a resort or a U.S.-owned territory. What is your reaction to that proposal?
Rita Yedid: That could be fine with me as long as I know that the threat on my life is over.
Debbie Holmes: So then you do not support a two -state solution?
Rita Yedid: Not anymore. I used to. After Oct. 7, there is no chance I would want a two-state solution. And to be honest with you, having Israeli Arabs that live among us in Jerusalem and in so many different parts of Israel that they are a threat themselves to us because they support Hamas and they want us dead, that's enough of a threat to live with. I think that's enough of a two-state solution that I have. So many Arabs that don't want me to stay alive living among me, that Gaza, we gave them the opportunity to create their own state, to prosper, to live their life, to appreciate life. But when a mother raises her child from day one, wishing that he will be a suicide bomber, that's not a mother I want to live next to. I'm sorry.
JewishColumbus is a non-profit organization in Columbus. It was created in 2018 as a partnership of the Columbus Jewish Foundation and the Jewish Federation of Columbus.
Members visited the Nova Musical Festival Exhibit in Miami, Florida on Feb. 2.
