Cape Girardeau native Charles Lynn sees horrors in Israel

When Hamas attacked Israel and kidnapped people for hostages Oct. 7, Cape Girardeau native Charles Lynn couldn't stand by.

Lynn, who now lives in Texas but returned to his hometown Cape Girardeau on Thanksgiving after serving in a humanitarian role near the Gaza border, has regularly visited Israel for about 40 years.

Though a Christian, Lynn has studied Jewish culture and history for many years. He fondly remembers the Hecht family in Cape Girardeau, who along with the Hirsch family, established a synagogue in downtown Cape Girardeau. His interest in the Jewish culture lies in his interest in the history of Christianity. After all, he said, Jesus was Jewish.

Lynn, once a touring musician who rubbed elbows and guitar strings with some of the most famous artists in the U.S., has spent considerable time visiting Israel over the last four decades. He even worked two years as a church relations associate for the Ministry of Tourism, making connections between Israel and Christians in the U.S. Midwest. When Christians wanted to visit the land where Christianity began, Lynn was often the person who helped make arrangements. He's served as a consultant and in various volunteer capacities. Over that time, Lynn made many friends, including people in the area known as the Gaza Envelope, a mostly rural area next to the Gaza border.

He has witnessed some conflict in Israel, but this round was much worse than the others, he said.

When Hamas attacked in October, "I boarded a plane right away and was there at Ground Zero," he said.

When Lynn arrived, his heart broke. The airport was empty.

Israel is a country of some 10 million people, and the Jerusalem area is one of the world's most famous places to visit. But when Lynn arrived at the airport, it was empty. All the tourists were gone, except for individuals deemed essential.

"I actually cried," he said.

But his heartbreak was not nearly over.

When he arrived at his destination, he began to see the violence. He would go on to spend three weeks in Israel.

He was mostly in rural farming areas, called kibbutzim. The kibbutzim are similar to rural Southeast Missouri areas between Cape Girardeau and Perryville or Cape Girardeau and Sikeston, he said. These were tiny communities surrounded by livestock pastures and peanut farms.

"Israel is a very small country," he said, "and that area was one of my favorites because it reminded me of growing up in Cape and being out on farms. It just smelled like home to me."

He said farmers in the Envelope often hired Palestinians from across the border to help work the fields and cattle. These kibbutzim were located across fields from the Gaza border, Lynn said.

It's that area that was attacked by Hamas terrorists. He said Hamas gathered intelligence from these relationships and routines and used that knowledge to carry out the attack.

Upon arrival to Israel, and throughout the duration, Lynn would hear and see rockets.

"I was overwhelmed," Lynn said. "It was sad. It was historic. It was worse than I thought. I saw the burnt bodies and all that. But I also saw resilience and hope. But the zone was still very hot. You had to have permission to be in where I was."

The violence inflicted upon people was "beyond the pale," he said, describing gruesome massacres and violence. Designated people went to collect bodies, so the families wouldn't have to undertake the dreadful task.

The area had taken on many casualties, Lynn said, including a good number of farmers. He said he was impressed and inspired by neighbors who milked the cows and tended to crops in the face of danger. Even as rocket warnings were going out, farmers "were still out in the fields, and starting their John Deere tractors. Farming was their way of pushback."

Anyone who knew how to operate electric milking machines jumped in and helped the dairy operations. The destruction led to the escape of animals and livestock, even pets who were abandoned when their owners died. Veterinarians were desperately needed to tend to the animals.

The terrorists were either pushed back or fled within a few days of the attack, but the rockets continued to fly from across the border, he said.

Humanitarian role

Lynn's role while overseas was to help tend to elderly people who were trapped in their homes and apartments. He delivered food and supplies to those unable to flee.

He was based in a town of about 30,000 people where the police station was attacked and eight police officers were killed. He said the city was evacuated except for about 2,000 people.

"Well, some of them are on medicine. They couldn't get out of their buildings, and I was there with a group preparing food under duress and under rocket fire. I saw the people who were afraid to come to the door. They still thought terrorists were there."

In one example, Lynn said an Indian family serving as caregivers on hospice wrapped a woman in a sheet made to look like she had perished, in order to move her to a different location.

Lynn spent time driving along routes to more rural areas. He got to know families whose loved ones were taken hostage. It wasn't just people they stole, either. The terrorists stole credit cards and used them within hours of the attack, he said. But the worst part was not knowing.

"It was the saddest thing I've ever seen," he said. "Every night they went out looking for family members. We drove around the Gaza perimeter looking for people. It was like looking for a lost puppy. So the human condition I experienced was really beyond what I could relate adequately."

Lynn returned to the United States shortly before the Thanksgiving holiday. He was still raw and emotional from what he'd seen in Israel.

The time back home in the Cape Girardeau area over the holiday helped rejuvenate his spirits, but he had a hard time staying in the moment.

"I was there, but not there," he said.

Lynn still carries a photo of a 9-year-old boy, Tal Goldstein-Almog, who was one of many hostages taken by Hamas. Tal was among six family members taken hostage.

Just as Lynn was leaving Cape Girardeau to head back to his home in Texas on the Sunday following Thanksgiving, he got word that Tal, his mother, Chen, and siblings Agam and Gal were released from Hamas. Unfortunately, the children's father Nadav and eldest sister Yam were killed.

When he received word that the boy and his family members had been freed, Lynn said, "I wanted to roar and cry."