A remembrance was held at Kehillat Israel for the dead and for those still held hostage from the October 7 attack.
Photo: RICH SCHMITT/CTN
Hamas terrorists attacked Israel a year ago on October 7, killing more than 1,200 people and kidnapping 251 others. The victims were concertgoers attending the Nova Music Festival, which ironically was a celebration of peace and music.
According to CNN, “The brutality of the attack on the festival shocked the world. As revelers danced and partied in the desert, scores of Hamas terrorists stormed the site, blocked off escape routes, and embarked on a killing spree. They ambushed groups trying to hide and murdered people as they tried to escape. They shot victims at point blank range in their cars and fired machine guns and anti-tank weapons indiscriminately at those who tried to flee on foot.”
There are still 97 hostages being held by Hamas, of those 64 are believed to be alive and 33 confirmed dead. Among those held include seven Americans: Edan Alexander, Itay Chen, Sagui Dekel-Chen, Gadi Haggai, Judith Weinstein Haggai, Omer Neutra and Keith Siegel.
This past Monday, on the anniversary of the attack, a remembrance was held at Kehillat Israel in partnership with Beth Shir Shalom of Santa Monica.
More than 300 people gathered for reflection, song and prayer. Notable attendees included State Senator Ben Allen, Rabbi Bernstein, Rabbi Sher, Cantor Frenkel and Rabbi Kress.
“I remember the first anniversary after 911,” Bernstein said. “It was important to mark that date together as a community. We gathered as an interfaith community.
“This felt similar,” she said and explained Yahrzeit is a Jewish observance that marks the anniversary of a loved one’s death. “This was a chance to come together and commemorate and to be together honoring their memories.”
People gathered for reflection at Kehillat Israel.
Photo: RICH SCHMITT/CTN
That unprovoked attack on Israel has triggered the current war in the Middle East, as hostages were sought and Israel worked to prevent future attacks. Palestinians, many of whom had become human shields for Hamas, died.
The war has also expanded into Lebanon as Israel fights Hezbollah, another terrorist group, who aligns with Iran and supports the destruction of Israel.
That attack on Israel has led to increased protests on college campuses in the United States, by WOL (Within Our Lifetime). That group not only supports Palestine but also want Hamas to end Israel’s existence as a Jewish state.
WOL was founded in 2015 and is currently led by 29-year-old Palestinian-American Nerdeen Kiswani, the former president of Students for Justice in Palestine (SJP). At the City University of New York Law School, in a 2022 commencement address, Kiswani called for the abolishment of the “illegitimate” state of Israel.
At a June protest there were signs reading “Zionist are not Jew and not humans.” In a tweet Kiswani wrote “”We don’t want zionists [sic] in Palestine, NYC, our schools, on the train, ANYWHERE. This is free speech; it is saying we don’t want racists here.”
In late April, WOL wrote that “the universities are ours for the taking,” and that the organization has been “studying, tracking and reporting on the activities and capabilities of the New York Police Department.”
Also harassing Jewish and pro-Israel students in the United States, have been organizers for SJP, who have created “apartheid walls,” or mock checkpoints in the center of campus, or posting mock eviction notices on Jewish students’ dormitory room doors.
According to a September 27 Politico story, (“Biden Told Allies that Netanyahu Doesn’t Want to End Fighting in Lebanon”) Israeli leader Benjamin Netanyahu has been criticized by the President Biden for his continued operations.
At the U.N. in September, Netanyahu said “As long as Hezbollah chooses the path of war, Israel has no choice, and Israel has every right to remove this threat and return our citizens to their home safely,” he said, adding that Israel’s military would continue its attacks on Hezbollah “until we meet our objectives.”
Jonathan Conricus, a former Israel Defense Forces spokesperson now at the Foundation for Defense of Democracies, told Foreign Policy in August, that wars are not won only by killing the enemy “but by killing the enemy and breaking his will to fight and forging a diplomatic deal to create conditions you want on the ground.”
This is a war that the Israelis did not start.
There are still almost 100 people being held hostage by the terrorist group Hamas.
Photo: RICH SCHMITT/CTN
Thank you, CTN, for bringing this true information to people’s attention!
It’s so important.
Many are not hateful toward Jews, but they are attacked daily by vicious anti Israel misinformation.