Peoria Mayor Jason Beck is a staunch supporter of Israel in the war against terrorist group Hamas.
Apparently his passion for the Israeli people steered him to travel to the war zone the first week in November and see the carnage for himself.
In an 11-minute video that was posted to social media Nov. 8, he documented his tour of Kibbutz Be’eri, the site of one of the most brutal massacres of the war that started on Oct. 7.
They need our support, Beck said in the video.
“They need people to pray for them. But not just for people to pray for them, they need people to speak for them. We are not doing enough, I can tell you that,” he said. “This is the last bastion of democracy in the Middle East. I continue to say that. If democracy falls in Israel, there is no democracy in the Middle East. This is it. What does that do for the rest of the world and what does that do for America?”
Beck has had a deep connection with Israel for a number of years, and has shown support for the country since the beginning of the war. In October, he donated 2,000 units of body armor to the Israel Defense Forces.
Beck is the owner of Peoria-based TYR Tactical, which produces tactical armor and other military products, and has connections in the defense industry.
Beck, a Christian, has been vocal about his connection to Israel and traveled to the region six times.
Visiting this area was one of the most important reasons for him to go to Israel, he said on the social media post.
In the post, Beck said he met with Israel Defense Forces soldiers, political and religious leaders in the country.
The webpage of the video has since been marked as private on social media.
Beck will speak about his experience at the Peoria City Council meeting, Nov. 14, but has not responded to questions from Peoria Independent.
In the post, Beck said he was fortunate enough to meet with the foreign secretary Eli Cohen, Rabbi Shmuel Rabinovich of the Western Wall, and other rabbis and pastors working to make a difference around the country.
Kibbutz Be’eri is in southern Israel in the northwestern part of the Negev Desert near the Gaza Strip border.
On the first day of the war, Hamas militants attacked the area, leaving more than 120 dead, including women and children, while kidnapping others.
Homes were set ablaze, buildings were looted and left destroyed.
“It is my understanding that I was the first American to visit due to the continued threats in the area. I felt it was extremely important to tour Be’eri and provide an accurate accounting of the horror and the intensity of what took place at this location.”
He added: “We need to support them. We need to support these men and women. We need to care for them. Anyone else who wants to come over here, I would gladly bring them over here. I will do it myself.”
Philip Haldiman can be reached at phaldiman@iniusa.org, or on Twitter @philiphaldiman. We’d like to invite our readers to submit their civil comments, pro or con, on this issue. Email AZOpinions@iniusa.org.
Meet Philip Haldiman is an award-winning journalist who most recently took first place for investigative reporting in 2023 from Arizona Newspapers Association. He joined Independent Newsmedia, Inc., USA, in 2015, covering Sun City West his first year. Since 2016, he has covered the city of Peoria. Prior to coming to INI, he was a reporter with The Arizona Republic for seven years, covering numerous cities throughout the Valley. Before that, he was a freelance writer.
Community: Haldiman spearheads the Peoria Independent Hometown Heroes Awards program, honoring local individuals and businesses that give back to the community. He has hosted local candidate forums over the years and is a member of the Society of Professional Journalists. Haldiman also served as a member of the Journalism Program Community Advisory Board at Glendale Community College. Outside journalism, Haldiman served as a member of the city of Peoria Complete Count Committee for the Census, 2019-2020. Lastly, he has served as a member of his HOA governing board since 2021.
Education: Arizona State University with a BA in Journalism and Mass Communications and a BA in Theater.
Random Fact: Haldiman is a fourth-generation Arizonan as well as wrote and produced an autobiographical comic book about his time spent in Hollywood and his life as a cult film star.
Hobbies: He enjoys hiking Arizona’s mountainous landscapes and is currently working on a play for the stage.
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