Memorial service puts Israeli hostages center stage

Norwich ― A memorial service Monday evening sponsored by the Jewish Federation of Eastern Connecticut at Beth Jacob Synagogue rekindled memories of the nearly 1,200 people who died in Israel after Hamas militants attacked a music festival, taking more than 200 hostages.

Exactly a year after the Oct. 7 attacks, the somber service attended by about 175 was meant to remember those who died on that day and other hostages who may still live. It included a lighting of a Yahrzeit candle by Marcia Reinhard, assistant director of the Jewish Federation, and the story of a survivor told by Ben Savir, a young Israeli emissary who has been staying in the area.

Another emissary, Yahav Avikhzer, told the story of a neighbor who was killed on Oct. 7, a friend with “a heart of gold” she had known all her life. He loved to play the drums and make people happy, she remembered, and had been engaged to be married, but died in the defense of his country.

“May we all pray for the safe return of our hostages, our soldiers and the evacuees from across the state of Israel,” said Rachel Levy, executive director of the Jewish Federation.

At the same time, according to a friend of Levy, about a third of all husbands in Israel were called up this weekend in the defense of their country.

Erica Weiner, a native of southeastern Connecticut who was living in Israel on Oct. 7, recalled watching the news on a daily basis in the days after the attack as reports of the hostages, the dead and the wounded ― some of whom she knew personally ― filled the broadcast waves.

“Every time I watched, I became more heartbroken,” she said.

Friends and family wondered why she didn’t leave the country, given that she has an American passport.

“But that’s what they want,” Weiner said. “The goal of the terrorists was to get rid of us.”

Weiner concluded with an appeal for Hamas to return Israeli hostages.

“The one thing I want, we want: Bring them home,” she said.

The one-hour local memorial service, preceded by soulful music played by Steve Sigel on violin and Roz Etra on piano, was one of dozens taking place Monday across the United States, Israel and elsewhere commemorating the one-year anniversary of the Hamas attack from Gaza, which now has led to a wider conflict in the Middle East involving Hezbollah militants in Lebanon and the regime in Iran.

The attack by Hamas, a U.S.-designated terrorist organization, has led to nearly 42,000 Palestinian deaths, according to Arab officials, after Israeli reprisals intent on rooting out the organization. The toll in Lebanon is currently more than 2,000, officials there estimate, as Israeli airstrikes continued Sunday into Monday, according to wire service reports.

The humanitarian toll is also immense, with Lebanon currently dealing with more than 1 million refugees, including many who have fled to Syria, according to United Nations’ figures.

A cease-fire, which for weeks many had hoped the United States could help effectuate, seems an ever more distant possibility as Iran becomes more aggressive, last week launching ballistic missiles into Israel. In several rallies worldwide on Monday, marchers were still demanding peace, and seeking a cease-fire in Gaza as a first step.

At the same time, Israel held memorial events to mark its losses, which people there compare with 9/11. The events Monday included one at the site of the Nova music festival, where more than 360 people were killed a year ago.

But Levy said during the Beth Jacob ceremony that the difference between 9/11 and Oct. 7 is that for Israel the terror lingers on.

“We’re still losing new lives every day,” Levy said. “We’re not able to move forward.”

The plight of hostages taken during the Oct. 7 attacks who are believed to be held in Gaza is still a hot topic in Israeli politics, with some advocating for a deal with Hamas to bring the missing home.

According to a National Public Radio report, Hamas-fired rockets injured two people Monday in the Sdot Dan region of Israel near Ben Gurion International Airport. Another explosion occurred in Tel Aviv suburb, but there were no casualties.

At Beth Jacob, attendees at the service were encouraged by Levy to “keep this energy of mourning instead of socializing” as they moved toward the social hall where markers could be used to write phrases of remembrance on rocks that were later to be placed in the courtyard.

Levy said the event wasn’t publicized for security reasons, and Norwich police had a strong presence at the event.

“The general mood is that one year later we have made little progress,” Levy said of the situation in Israel. “It is important to have hope and come together.”

l.howard@theday.com