ALLENTOWN, Pa. — The message on the black T-shirts echoed loudly. They represented a pleading cry into a canyon of frustration, heartache and uncertainty.
It read, “Bring them home now.”
On Monday, one year to the day since the Hamas attacks on Israel, area residents gathered at the Jewish Community Center to commemorate the anniversary and demand the release of an estimated 101 hostages remaining from the 252 taken.
“Too many Israeli lives have been lost, too many hostages taken, too many families displaced,” Jeri Zimmerman, JCC executive director, told the estimated 500 in attendance. “The aftermath has unearthed one horror after another.
“We demand the hostages return home and to end antisemitism.”
Organized by the Jewish Federation of the Lehigh Valley, the event was part of a national commemoration that numbered 150 Jewish federations.
While the T-shirts spoke loudly, the message — the pleas, the wishes, the demands — was also evident on every face in the audience: Bring them home now.
The wait goes on. And on. A year now with no end in sight.
“We demand the hostages return home and to end antisemitism."Jeri Zimmerman, executive director, Jewish Federation of the Lehigh Valley
The hour-long program included live music and speeches from members of the Jewish Federation of the Lehigh Valley, the Jewish Community Center and Jewish clergy throughout the Lehigh Valley.
Rabbi Yaacov Halperin of Chabad Lubavitch of the Lehigh Valley asked, “How is it that we can still come together and endure?”
He quickly answered, “Because we as Israel will endure.”
Rabbi Michael Singer of Congregation Brith Shalom in Bethlehem led the gathering in a remembrance of the victims and hostages. After each remembrance, the gathering responded in unison: "We remember."
A brief video presentation displayed haunting images in Israel like bombed-out communities, coffins of murdered Israelis being carried to their final resting place, and family members of the dead sobbing at gravesites, their river of tears unending.
The video included various voices expressing sorrow over the hostages and the dead.
“My grandparents told me about the Holocaust,” one voice said. “Now, I am living it myself.”
Protests calling for an end to the war have been held throughout the Lehigh Valley since the start of the conflict.
The commemoration’s focus was on showing support for the Israelis and the Jewish people worldwide as they remember the tragedy.
Many of the residents have personal connections with the victims and continue living through the difficult situation with hostages remaining in captivity and war in the Middle East continuing.
There will be a time for healing and rebuilding, Zimmerman told the audience.
“Hopefully speedily,” she said. “We long for peace and tranquility for all of Israel and our Jewish community. Our task is to bear witness and to mourn.”
Event co-chair Miriam Zager read a poem she wrote after the Oct. 7 attacks. It read, in part:
“One hundred and one hostages are still in Gaza, in hell; their stories we will tell.
“Evil and hatred are cancers that have existed for so long; every day is a challenge, but everyone stay strong.”
Event co-chair Naomi Schachter noted the Jewish community’s hearts are heavy, but grateful for the resilience of the community.
“Together we have found a way to move forward even in the darkest of time,” she said.
Attendees were issued a flier with a list of ideas to raise awareness, advocate or give spiritual sustenance to help support the hostage families.
Titled “One Day at a Time,” the ideas include:
- Stick With Us: Tape a strip of masking tape over the heart, with the number of days the hostages were taken.
- Social media: Follow the hostages and missing families.
- Contact elected officials: Express to officials that the taking of hostages is unacceptable.
- Strength through faith: Pray and light candles for the hostages and families.
- Organize locally: Speak out. Make your voice heard.
- Raise awareness: Share media, wear T-shirts.
- Donate: https://stories.bringthemhomenow.net/donate#donation-iframe.
The commemoration event was particularly important to event co-chair Tama Tamarkin.
“As the granddaughter of survivors, it’s my duty to speak out,” she said.
In January, Tamarkin toured the devastation in Israel as part of a volunteer mission.
“I have family there,” she said. “I needed to go and put my hands on them to show them they’re not alone. I had to put my hands on the people of Israel
“It was the most meaningful trip I’ve ever done.”
The one-year anniversary date feels daunting and heavy to cross, Tamarkin told the gathering.
“It’s been a year to say goodbye — the deepest hole in someone’s heart,” she said. “It is inevitable to be crushed by this day we will never forget.
“Today through the darkness, we need to look to generations past, our new heroes and the comforts of communities and allies.
“The trauma is collective and our healing will also be collective with connection.”
A surprise attack
On Oct. 7 last year, Hamas militant groups breached the security barrier separating the Gaza Strip from Israel.
A surprise attack was launched on Israel, triggering a war with horrific acts of violence, sending explosive drones and firing thousands of rockets from Gaza into Israel.
Soon after, militants smashed through border fences out of Gaza and landed in southern Israel on paragliders.
They killed more than 1,200 people, sexually assaulted women, and took more than 250 innocents hostage — including American citizens. About 100 remain in captivity.
Israel's ensuing war in Gaza has killed more than 41,595 Palestinians, according to the official Palestinian Health Ministry. The death toll amounts to about 10 times its count of losses in all previous Gaza conflicts.
Commemoration at Lehigh
A commemoration of the one-year anniversary of the war was also held at Chabad House at Lehigh University.
Titled “Remember Together,” the hour-long event brought together Lehigh students and community members to share personal experiences, reflections and resolutions to the conflict.
The event featured speeches from Lehigh students and faculty, as well as video presentations and remarks from survivors’ families.
"We want the students to leave with a sense of pride about their faith and community.”Rabbi Zalman Greenberg
A Lehigh student, Ofer Hacohen, spoke about his experiences as an Israeli Defense Forces soldier. He was not deployed to Gaza, but many friends were, including some that were killed in action.
“The mood at Lehigh is definitely somber today,” said Rabbi Zalman Greenberg, founder/director of Chabad at Lehigh. “It’s been a tough year for students on campuses who have experienced a lot of hate and horrible things that a lot of people thought would never happen in this country.
“When you look at statistics from the FBI and the Department of Homeland Security, the Jewish hatred and attacks in this country are going up in numbers. It’s taken a toll on the Jewish community.”
Rabbi Greenberg was encouraged by the increased outward Jewish pride on the Lehigh campus.
“We have a fair at the start of every school year where the students come to check out different student clubs,” he said. “My wife and I always take notice of the students wearing a necklace with Jewish pride or the Star of David. Usually we’ll see five to 10 of them.
“But this year we noticed up to 70 or 80 of them. Students showing who they are.
“Today is a solemn day. But we want it to also be a day for a message of resilience, hope and inspiration. We want the students to leave with a sense of pride about their faith and community.”
The Associated Press contributed to this story.
