GETZVILLE, N.Y. — On Monday, the Jewish community in Buffalo sought to remember a time they still don’t feel has fully passed.
The Buffalo Jewish Federation and other local Jewish organizations hosted an event at the Jewish Community Center in Amherst on the one-year anniversary of the Oct. 7 attack where Hamas blindsided Israel, killing nearly 1,200 civilians and taking over 250 people hostage — many of which were American and almost 100 who are still believed to be in their custody today.
“It takes my breath away,” said Sheryl Schechter, Board of Trustees President of the JCC of Greater Buffalo. “Truthfully, it's heart-wrenching.”
“It's gonna forever be a memory of the worst day for the Jewish people since the Holocaust,” said Harvey Sanders, a Board of Governors member with the Buffalo Jewish Federation.
Schechter and Sanders said as much as the focus of Monday was on mourning, they feel the tragedy hasn’t yet come to an end. The event was also an opportunity to remind the community to keep those still in custody in their prayers.
“We still have hostages,” Sanders said. “It's every day on our minds.”
Also top of mind Monday was safety, as the event’s organizers said Oct. 7 marked a turning point for the Jewish community nationwide and sparked a wave of antisemitism.
The latest number from the FBI say 67% of all religious-based hate crimes target Jewish people — up 11% from last year. Meanwhile, the United States population is just 2.4% Jewish.
It led the event’s organizers to check all IDs at the door and not release the location until the day of.
“After the attacks, it was hard for me to want to wear a Jewish star,” one speaker at the event said. “Not because I'm not proud of where I came from, but because it gave others the signal to dismiss my feelings, to challenge my experience and to stop listening to what I had to say.”
Monday was a day of remembrance for the Jewish community in Western New York — and one they hope in a year, they’ll finally be able to just remember.
“We all want peace. We all want peace,” Schechter said.
“You think about the next set of holidays. You think about the next anniversary, and certainly we hope the next year will be better,” Sanders said.