OPINION:
A version of this story appeared in the Higher Ground newsletter from The Washington Times. Click here to receive Higher Ground delivered directly to your inbox each Sunday.
“Look for the helpers. You will always find people who are helping.”
This timeless quote from the late Mr. Rogers offers advice for parents to help children process scary images or themes they might see on the news. It’s a proclamation that often reemerges in times of unimaginable pain and suffering.
From mass shootings to times of war, this word of comfort helps kids cope — but it also offers hope to beleaguered adults.
Rogers made the statement decades ago while explaining how his own mother would respond when he saw “scary things in the news,” with the children’s entertainment icon noting that the words remained with him decades later as he experienced “times of disaster.”
“I am always comforted by realizing that there are still so many helpers — so many caring people in this world,” he added.
In recent days, this quote resurfaced in my mind as the world again witnessed depravity and evil manifest in the form of Hamas’ terrorist attack against Israel.
The assault, which killed at least 1,400 Israelis and left 199 people held captive, could potentially ignite one of the most combustible Middle Eastern battles in decades.
It has understandably created fear, consternation and uncertainty. The scenes emerging from the conflict are so ghastly and macabre it’s been difficult to do anything other than perpetually shiver in horror. Yet at the same time, stories of honor, bravery and sacrifice have also materialized amid the hellish madness — accounts that must be told.
Among the heroes who deserve to have their stories told is Awad Darawshe, an Israeli Arab who made a truly courageous choice when Hamas terrorists began murdering attendees at the Tribe of Nova festival in Re’im on Oct. 7.
Darawshe was a paramedic assigned to work at the festival that fateful day. With the situation quickly devolving, he and other paramedics were told to evacuate — but he chose to stay and treat injured Israelis as the barrage of Hamas’ hatred and turpitude raged.
“I’m not leaving,” Mr. Darawshe reportedly said.
The brave man believed he could potentially help thwart the evil acts, to no avail. Darawshe was killed while helping one of the injured. The 23-year-old who had his entire life in front of him saw his future snuffed out in an instant at the hands of a demonic force bent on doing nothing more than killing and maiming.
And while Darawshe’s loss of his life is tragic, it’s also a powerful reminder of one man’s willingness to sacrifice everything for others. He could have fled or abandoned the afflicted, but he chose to remain behind and tend to those in need.
Darawshe is hardly alone in his heroism. Benjamin Trakeniski, 32, was a British Israeli man who is also being praised after reportedly being killed while trying to help victims wounded during the Oct. 7 massacre at kibbutz Be’eri.
“Benji was the most positive, pure and kind-hearted person,” a friend told the Daily Mail. “He was all about helping others and in this heroic way he also died by saving many lives at Be’eri.”
Rather than continuing to plan her wedding and look ahead to the future, Trakeniski’s fiancee reportedly shared at his funeral this week the wedding vows she would have uttered during their nuptials — a heartbreaking display highlighting the human toll of Hamas’ depravity.
Others, like Israeli American Staff Sgt Roey Weiser, 21, also sacrificed himself to save lives. After Hamas stormed his military base, Weiser reportedly bravely confronted the attackers to give fellow soldiers a chance to escape.
“He died how he lived, by putting others first and when his base was overrun by terrorists, he went on his own to divert their attention allowing others to escape,” his mother, Naomi Feifer-Weiser, said of her son’s actions. “Because of his bravery, at least 12 other soldiers are alive today.”
There’s also Inbal Lieberman, a 25-year-old Israeli woman who saved a kibbutz by rallying local residents to come together to stop incoming terrorists in their tracks.
After hearing nearby explosions, she quickly organized weapons, handed them out to her security team, and used strategic movements to kill and ward off Hamas militants. One source said her actions “prevented dozens of casualties.”
And still others like Itay Glisko, 20, fought valiantly until the end. Glisko was on a military base when Hamas’ attack unfolded. Rather than retreat, he bravely fought back against the terrorists for 12 hours and ultimately lost his life.
“I want everyone in the world to know what he was, how he acted, what he did in his last moments,” his cousin told the media. “In his last breath, he fought like a hero; he didn’t give up, even when he knew he was going to die, he wrote it to my brother. … ’I’m afraid but I’m staying and will fight like a hero.’”
All of these stories expose a selflessness and courage so countercultural and powerful they must be heralded. As we all continue to mourn the loss of life amid so much terror, we must also look to these examples of altruism and love for fellow man as blueprints to replicate in our travesty-laden and tattered world.
Looking for the helpers helps us see the good that still persists even in our darkest of moments.
• Billy Hallowell is a digital TV host and interviewer for Faithwire and CBN News and the co-host of CBN’s “Quick Start Podcast.” He is the author of four books.
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