VIDEO TRANSCRIPT: JEWISH FEDERATION OF CENTRAL NEW YORK COMMEMORATES OCT. 7. ATTACKS ANNIVERSARY
Jordan Leonard: It has been a full year since Hamas attacked Israel killing over 1,200 people and taking 250 hostages. But today at the Jewish Community Center of Syracuse there was a message of support.
Todd Pinsky: Really showed that we are one community, that we came together to commemorate a horrific day that happened a year go.
Leonard: That was Todd Pinsky, chair of the board at the Jewish Federation of Central New York. Something noticeable of the event today was extra security. New York Gov. Kathy Hochul heightened the alert of the state police, which Joel Kaplan, member of Temple Society of Concord, said he’s noticed.
Joel Kaplan: Even in the old days there was always security at the temple because you never know. Now I have noticed it’s definitely been beefed up.
Leonard: The extra security is due to the increasing acts of violence against the Jewish community. According to the Anti-Defamation League, more than 10,000 antisemitic incidents have occurred over the last year. Three times more than the last 12-month span. All of the events of the past year go into the bigger purpose of today’s one-year anniversary.
Leonard: The commemoration event that took place this morning at the Jewish Community Center of Syracuse is all part of the big idea of the Jewish Federation of Central New York. To come together as one united Jewish community.
Pinsky: Our focus is making sure our local people feel supported and know that they have a place to turn that if they feel threatened, if they have questions, if they somehow are being targeted or blamed for things that are happening in Israel that they have a home here with not just the Jewish Federation but the whole Jewish community.
Kaplan: Israel is the safe haven, the place we can go if things blow up in the world.
DEWITT, N.Y. (NCC News) – Commemoration events, vigils and mourning took place across the world on Oct. 7th, the one-year anniversary of the Hamas attack on Israel. In Syracuse, the Jewish Federation of Central New York (JFCNY) hosted an event at the Jewish Community Center of Syracuse to honor the 1,200 lives lost and 250 hostages taken on Oct. 7, 2023.
“We remember Oct. 7 as a reminder, even as we fight antisemitism locally, nationally and globally,” said Barbara Davis, editor of the Jewish Observer. “Even as we pray for the return of the living hostages and the recovery of the hostages who have come home, even as we pray for the souls of the hostages and the 1,200 others killed on Oct. 7, that the Jewish people and the Jewish State need always to be vigilant and strong.”
“Incredulity really,” Joel Kaplan, who is also the associate dean for professional graduate programs at the Newhouse School and member of Temple Society of Concord, said on the attacks from last year. “We’ve always gone by Gaza, including Sderot, a village they attacked. We had lunch with people there, many of whom I think probably perished in the attack or were taken hostage.”
Upwards of 50-60 people attended the event around 10:30 a.m. Monday, which saw increased security. Earlier this weekend, New York state Gov. Kathy Hochul instructed state police and local authorities to enhance and heighten security due to the recent events in Israel.
“One year after the horrific atrocities committed against the people of Israel, my heart goes out to the victims and their families,” Hochul said. “As the home of the largest Jewish population outside of Israel, we will do everything in our power to defend against the forces of hatred and stand firmly against those who perpetuate it.”
The increased security is also necessary because of the uptick in antisemitism over the last year. Since Oct. 7, 2023, there have been more than 10,000 antisemitic incidents. That number is up from 3,325 the previous year, which marks the most incidents in a 12-month period since 1979, according to the Anti-Defamation League.
“Even in the old days there was always security at the temple because you never know,” Kaplan, member of Temple Society of Concord said. “Now I have noticed it’s definitely been beefed up.”
The JFCNY also hosted a community memorial at Temple Adath Yeshurun tonight to honor the lives lost and survivors through prayer, music and art.
“It really showed that we are one community,” said Todd Pinsky, the chair of the board at JFCNY. “That we came together to commemorate a horrific day that happened a year ago.”