WASHINGTON (DC News Now) — On Monday, members of the Jewish community gathered in D.C. for a remembrance ceremony at The Anthem to commemorate a year since the Oct. 7, 2023 attack on Israel.
Hamas terrorists killed 1,200 people and abducted another 250 that day, sparking what is now a year of war in the Middle East.
The event at The Anthem, organized by the Jewish Federation of Greater Washington and the Jewish Community Relations Council of Greater Washington, had speakers calling for peace.
Through prayers and song, speakers also focused on the 101 hostages still being held in Gaza who were kidnapped, a third of whom are believed to be dead.
Many expressed how emotional it is for them one year later, with family and friends directly impacted by the attack.
“Though Israel faces its most trying moment since its founding, it remains a miracle,” said Gil Preuss, CEO of the Jewish Federation of Greater Washington.
Speakers on Monday included the father of an Israeli-American son who was kidnapped and the Israeli Ambassador to the U.S.
Family members vowed to keep demanding the Israeli and American governments push for an agreement to bring their loved ones home and bring peace to the Middle East.
“If we do not prevail in this war, we will not be able to lead normal lives as free people in our country,” said Ambassador Michael Herzog.
Herzog acknowledged the death toll in Gaza where the Gaza Health Ministry said 41,000 Palestinians have been killed.
“Our war is not against innocent people. It is against bloodthirsty terrorists that turn them into human shields,” he said.
The issue of a rise in antisemitism was also brought up, talking about security needs and the importance of standing together.
Ron Halber, CEO of the Jewish Community Relations Council of Greater Washington said Oct. 7 will forever be etched in the collective Jewish consciousness.
“We will forever mourn the deaths of our brothers and sisters so brutally and mercilessly taken from us. But we refuse to let them be defined by how they were slaughtered,” Halber said.
He said instead they want to remember those killed by how they lived.
“This is who we are: a resilient and determined people,” Halber said.
