On the eve of a somber anniversary, communities in Arizona and across Israel are reflecting one year after the deadly Hamas attacks. In the west Valley, the Jewish community gathered Sunday night, lighting candles in memory of each life lost and the hostages still being held by Hamas in Gaza. Rabbi Shlomy Ceitlin of Chabad of Surprise, in a statement to FOX 10 Phoenix, expressed the depth of the tragedy, "The brutality and the atrocity of it all, it is just unfathomable." He likened the attacks to the worst anti-Semitic violence seen since the Holocaust.
In Israel, citizens marked the anniversary with vigils and ceremonies on Monday. The Israeli President Isaac Herzog joined families of those killed at the site of the Nova music festival, which had been attacked on a significant Jewish holiday, to observe a moment of silence disturbed only by a woman's wail and the distant fighting in Gaza. According to AZ Family, despite the ongoing war in Gaza and new threats faced by Israel from Hezbollah and Iran, the nation is attempting to uphold its spirit of remembrance and resilience.
In Arizona, Rabbi Ceitlin emphasized the spike in anti-Semitism and the palpable fear within the Jewish community. "And the certain fear that Jews have, just walking on the street with your kippah or just a necklace with the Magen David. Put politics aside. Jewish people, they just want to practice their religion and just want to be openly comfortable with their culture, with their identity," Ceitlin told FOX 10 Phoenix.
Meanwhile, Israelis grapple with the consequences of a horrific year. At 6:31 a.m., the exact minute the attacks began, Israel faced renewed hostilities with rocket sirens in Tel Aviv. Families of hostages gathered near Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's residence to remind their leaders of those still held captive. "We are here to remind [the hostages] that we haven’t forgotten them," Shiri Albag, whose daughter is among the captives, told the crowd as reported by AZ Family. With a human toll of more than 41,000 Palestinians killed and the unprecedented displacement within Gaza, a shadow remains over both communities struggling for normalcy.
As Arizona residents held postcards bearing the names and faces of those lost, Janet Kirshbaum shared with FOX 10 Phoenix her personal anguish as her granddaughters are moving to Israel amidst the turmoil. "They’re making aliyah. That means moving to Israel," she said. Beyond personal connections, for many like Kirshbaum, the events have brought a homeland ever closer to the heart during these trying times.