Survivor’s Tale Captivates Yorktown’s Oct. 7 Commemoration

YORKTOWN, N.Y.— Several hundred residents packed the gym in the Yorktown Community and Cultural Center on Sept. 30, where they heard an account of the Oct. 7 Hamas terrorist attack in Israel from a survivor who attended the Nova Music Festival.

The gathering in Yorktown was sponsored by the Justice Brandeis Law Society to honor the victims ahead of the one-year anniversary of the attack.

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The Justice Brandeis Law Society is an organization dedicated to fostering a sense of community, professional development and cultural enrichment among Jewish lawyers, judges and law students. Its mission is to pursue justice and Tikkun Olam (Hebrew for “repair the world”).

The Sept. 30 commemoration event was led by Yorktown High School junior Talia Pierson, who heads the Justice Brandeis Law Society Junior Board.

The first speaker following Pierson was Jeffrey Cohen, retired Associate Justice of the Appellate Division of the New York State Supreme Court and also Pierson’s grandfather. A speaker at numerous events, Cohen shared that he’d never had a prouder moment than to share the podium with his granddaughter at this event.

Other speakers included Yorktown Supervisor Ed Lachterman, New York State Assemblyman and former Supervisor Matt Slater, Westchester Deputy County Executive Ken Jenkins and Congressman Mike Lawler. Other local leaders in attendance included State Sen. Pete Harckham and members of the Town Board.

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Lachterman highlighted Yorktown’s commitment to honor the fallen, including annual remembrance ceremonies of the 9/11 victims as well as the evening’s event honoring the victims and survivors of the Oct. 7 massacre. Slater shared the seriousness of antisemitism in New York, where reported antisemitic incidents have risen 69 percent over the past year and account for over one-half of all reported New York State hate crimes. Lawler spoke of his visit to Israel just a month after the attack, where he met with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to view a harrowing video of the Oct. 7 atrocities. He also told the audience of his meetings with the families of all seven U.S. citizens taken hostage by Hamas as well as his legislative initiatives in support of Israel and to combat antisemitism.

The evening’s most emotional moments were when Atir Vinnikov shared his story of survival and extraordinary resilience as he escaped the Nova Music Festival along with seven close friends who had attended that all-night event. Vinnikov is a dual U.S./Israeli citizen who now resides in Tel Aviv. He had earlier spent three years in Israel’s IDF Special Forces.

Vinnikov and his friends’ harrowing escape began at 6:30 a.m. on Oct. 7 as rockets began lighting up the sky and falling on innocent civilians and continued as they raced for cover from an increasing barrage of terrorist gunfire. A heroic Bedouin farmer named Yunes led them to a hiding place under a farm building, where they could see the terrorists’ footsteps, as they searched for Jews to kill. The Arabic-fluent farmer defiantly insisted there were no Jews present on his farm.

Vinnikov finally reached his Tel Aviv home about 12 hours after the remarkable escape had begun. Just 12 hours after that return home, Vinnikov was off to join his IDF Reserve unit as they “fought like lions” to save Israel. While acknowledging his fear throughout the escape ordeal, Vinnikov credited his and his friends’ survival to composure and clear, deliberate thinking under fire.

The event concluded with Rabbi Yehuda Heber of the Chabad of Yorktown leading the crowd in prayer and blowing the shofar, a traditional ram’s horn, to produce a clarion call for the end of hatred and restoration of peace.

“We pray for the living hostages to return home, and we pray for the souls of the victims.” He ended by recognizing Talia Pierson’s leadership.

“It may take a village to raise a child,” he said, “but it also may take a child to lead a village.”

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