Commemorating the Attack on Israel
Words and Photos By Debra Rubin
A year after the Oct. 7 terrorist attack on Israel by Hamas that left about 1,200 dead and saw 251 Israelis “dragged from their lives” into Gaza, area community members came together to share their grief and hope for the future.
A capacity crowd of more than 650 filled the auditorium at Marlboro Middle School on Oct. 6 for the commemoration, sponsored by the Jewish Federation in the Heart of New Jersey with support from 26 Jewish entities, including synagogues of all denominations from throughout Middlesex and Monmouth counties.
“Each of us has our reasons for being here, but the reason a day like this must happen at all points to hatred of Jews,” said Federation Executive Director Susan Antman, observing that hatred was so strong among Hamas operatives that it overcame compassion for their own families, neighbors and children “whom they use as pawns of war rather than work toward peace, and we pray for those innocent children.”
The gathering not only served as a remembrance of those murdered last Oct. 7 in kibbutzim and at the Supernova Music Festival, but to “honor their loved ones left holding the untold weight of their loss,” and to also pay tribute to the heroism, courage and resilience of the Israeli people, she noted.
Antman told heartbreaking stories of those lost to the attacks, including former Highland Park resident Elisha Lowenstein, whose family made aliyah when he was 8. His father, Heshie, was a former teacher at Rabbi Pesach Raymon Yeshiva in Edison. Elisha was killed at age 38 in Gaza by a Hamas anti-tank missile while on a mission to rescue wounded soldiers.
The ceremony, whose location was kept secret except to those attending, was marked
by the visible presence of police around the school.
The program kicked off with a shofar blast, the singing of Hatikvah by a choir of children from local day and synagogue religious schools and a proclamation read by John Hornik, who described himself as the “proud Jewish mayor of Marlboro” expressing the township’s “unequivocal support” for Israel. Nathaniel Kingsbury of the Highland Park Conservative Temple-Congregation Anshe Emeth chanted El-Maleh for the victims. The choir ended the program on a hopeful note with “Od Yavoh Shalom,” meaning peace will come upon us yet.
The crowd somberly surveyed photos of survivors, hostages and their families and saw firsthand the terror that gripped young people attending the music festival through photos and a video shot by Shye Klein Weinstein, a Canadian born photographer and videographer, who attended the festival with his cousin and friends.
He told a harrowing story that brought the terror of the day home, of hearing rocket fire as dawn broke, hearing the music stop and the anxious cries of “red alert, red alert” being shouted in Hebrew over the speaker system.
Weinstein Klein could hear gunfire in the distance that was getting closer. He recalled the panic that followed and being stuck in a traffic jam with others as they desperately tried to escape the Hamas terrorists. His group left in two cars. The vehicle in which he was riding was fired at, and even after arriving home safely Klein Weinstein agonized, not knowing whether those in the other car had survived until much later that night.
At one point Klein Weinstein cautioned those in the room that they may want to leave before the next part of his video because of its particularly disturbing images. No one moved as images of burned-out cars, dead IDF soldiers and other horrific scenes flashed by as his car raced down the highway. Black pillars of smoke rose in the distance, which the group didn’t realize at the time was coming from different kibbutzim where “people were being burned alive in their homes.”
It stood in almost surreal contrast to Klein Weinstein’s earlier time at the festival, where he used photography to go around making friends and taking their portraits. He later learned that, miraculously, of the 54 individuals he photographed, 52 had survived.
He urged those in attendance to remain strong in supporting Israel and lamented that too often Israelis only hear about protests and “don’t see all the memorials and rallies and everything in between.”
“Seeing all of you here today, I will be able to share your support back home,” Klein Weinstein said.
Among the dignitaries who came to the event were New Jersey First Lady Tammy Murphy, State Senator Vin Gopal and Representative. Andy Kim, the Democratic U.S. Senate candidate.
“I wanted to stand in solidarity with the Jewish community,” Kim said. “What happened a year ago was so horrific and it is so important to remember it and to continue fighting for the release of those in captivity.”
Those in attendance were visibly moved by the events of the last year and what they witnessed at the memorial.
“It hurts my heart that we can’t spread the word to the younger generation,” said Terry Stein of Marlboro. “It is so important to be proud of being Jewish and to stand up for the Jewish people.”
Penne Bergenfeld of Monroe said she spoke to Weinstein Klein after the program, telling him that “We survived the Holocaust and we will survive this.”
“It doesn’t matter whether we are in New Jersey or Israel, we are one people,” she said. “I have so much admiration for him and this was so incredible for me.”
Antman ended the commemoration on an uplifting note.
“We must continue saying prayers, writing letters, wearing yellow ribbons and dog tags, lighting candles, advocating for support of Israel, teaching our children the truth about Israel, hosting families of hostages, leaving open seats at holiday tables and everything else that shows our brothers and sisters, and frankly the world, that we are one.”
Debra Rubin has had a long career in journalism writing for secular weekly & daily newspapers and Jewish publications. She most recently served as Middlesex/Monmouth bureau chief for the New Jersey Jewish News. She also worked with the media at several nonprofits, including serving as assistant public relations director of HIAS and assistant director of media relations at Yeshiva University.
