CARLSBAD, Calif. — The numbers on the inside of his arm will always be a reminder of what Ben Midler survived.
The 95-year-old survived six concentration camps in the Holocaust.
"I don’t live in the memories," said Midler, when asked if the Israel-Hamas war has brought any memories to the surface.
Midler moved to Israel after World War II and stayed there for more than a decade.
After moving to California, Midler met the parents of Barbara Ostroff. The couple also survived the Holocaust.
“My father’s passion, my mother’s passion was the state of Israel," said Ostroff.
As the war unfolds in the Middle East, it has triggered an emotional response for many Jews around the world who feel as though they are under attack again.
“What just occurred in Israel is... beyond barbaric. It’s a tragedy," said Ostroff.
Midler described a feud that has been brewing since he lived in Israel years ago.
“It’ll get over with, the only thing is it will be... A lot of people will lose their life and that’s war. There is nothing we can do about it," said Midler.
