Tuesday marks the two year anniversary of the October 7 terror attacks in Israel. About 1,200 people were killed by Hamas, and hundreds more were taken hostage. Those events started a war in Gaza that the United Nations reports has killed 65,000 Palestinians.
Rabbi Johanna Hershenson at Ahavath Beth Israel, a reform Synagogue in Boise, said the events affected the entire jewish community, both in Israel and abroad.
“Violence is violence. There's no sense there,” she said. “What happened on that day was the most violent attack against Jews in decades.”
“It was very painful,” she added.
Hershenson says it’s also been very painful to see the destruction of Gaza in response to the terror attacks.
“It's very important for all of us in the Western world, in the community that I serve, the Jewish community, to find the humanity in one another,” she said, adding she would not give up hope for a peaceful resolution is possible.
On Monday, negotiators for Hamas and Israel met in Egypt to discuss a potential ceasefire, which could include the release of the surviving hostages.
“I hope that in the coming days, we'll get to a point where we won't have to be offering prayers for release of hostages anymore,” Hershenson said.
This year, the anniversary of the attacks coincides with the beginning of Sukkot, the Jewish Fall Harvest festival that start five days after Yom Kippur. During that holiday, jewish households build makeshift huts without roofs, symbolizing God’s protection.
Hershenshon said the ritual is also a way to remember that buildings are temporary.
“They go up, they come down. but what's most important is, how we relate to one another, how we nourish one another, and how we build community that lasts longer than buildings."
