Advocates and allies across Boston gathered at protests, vigils and memorial events on Oct. 6 and 7 to mark the first anniversary of the Hamas attack on Israel that reignited global focus on the deep-rooted Israel-Palestine conflict.
A year ago Monday, the militant group Hamas invaded Israel, killed more than 1,200 civilians and foreign nationals and took another 251 hostage, according to the United States Congressional Research Service.
Since then, the Israel-Hamas conflict has resulted in more than 41,000 Palestinian deaths and displaced approximately 90% of Gaza’s population, according to the Hamas-controlled health ministry.
In response, college campuses and community spaces in cities across the U.S. became hotspots for pro-Israel and pro-Palestine activism over the next year.
This week, events in solidarity with both Israel and Palestine occurred throughout Boston and reflected the myriad of perspectives surrounding the ongoing conflict.
More than 3,700 people attended a vigil organized by Combined Jewish Philanthropies titled “October 7: An Evening of Remembrance & Hope” on Monday night at the Boch Center’s Wang Theater. A CJP spokesperson wrote in an email to The Daily Free Press that the event would provide “opportunities to mourn,” honor the lives lost and share support for the future.
“The traumas of the past year have affected each of us in unique ways, and the future remains uncertain beyond October 7,” the CJP spokesperson wrote. “However, this evening offers us a chance to come together and grieve as a community.”
The event featured speakers, community prayers and songs to commemorate the lives lost on Oct. 7. Dorit Cohen, co-chair of the Israeli American Council in New England, said the vigil’s purpose was to be a space for the Jewish community to “reflect on the trauma” of the Oct. 7 attack.
“People needed a place where they could feel safe, where they could find other people that felt hurt like they were,” Cohen said. “[This event is] an opportunity to remember that we are together, that we will support each other and hope.”
Marcie Miller, a vigil attendee, said the most important aspect of this event for her was being “with the community and with other Jewish people who are also grieving.” She said she found it “symbolic” that Oct. 7 fell between the Jewish holidays Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur.
“[These holidays are] supposed to be a renewal in the new year, but yet it’s not,” Miller said. “What happened isn’t over … so I think the more support we can show, the better.”
Cohen said the event saw “remarkable” support from members of the Jewish, Israeli and Israeli-American communities, as well as leaders and residents from “beyond the Jewish community.”
While some came together in mourning, others came together in protest.
Thousands of protestors gathered at the Boston Common in support of Palestine on Sunday before marching along Storrow Drive and rallying in front of the Israeli Consulate. Organized by the Boston Coalition for Palestine, an alliance of more than 40 local organizations, the demonstration temporarily blocked the Boston highway and disrupted traffic throughout Beacon Hill, according to the Boston Globe.
Fawaz Abusharkh, a founder and organizer at the BCP, said the coalition aims to provide a “voice for the voiceless” in the fight for Palestinian liberation and call for American corporations to stop providing aid to the Israeli government in order to reach a ceasefire.
“We need more voice for the Palestinians, and we need to stop the pouring of money and weapons to the killers of the Palestinians,” Abusharkh said. “The City of Boston is part of this just like any other city.”
Abdul Aden, a retired accountant who came to the U.S. from Somalia in 1982, attended the BCP’s rally to protest the “injustice” happening in Gaza. He said this was “one of the biggest demonstrations” for Palestine that he has participated in.
Eli Gerzon, a volunteer with the Jewish Voice for Peace, said the rally was “a chance for Boston and the world to see how many different people from different backgrounds all support Palestine.”
“[JVP is] there because we believe Jewish values say that every life is sacred, and we as a people have experienced genocide,” Gerzon said. “We as a people have experienced racism and racist violence, and that motivates us to stand against it.”
Gerzon said they were also “heartened to see the resiliency and leadership” of people with Palestinian, Arab and Muslim backgrounds, as well as those with no direct connection to the conflict, who were present at the rally.
Elena Leeds, a Jewish rally attendee and member of Northeastern University’s chapter of the Young Democratic Socialists of America, was arrested for participating in a pro-Palestine encampment protest in New York last semester. She said holding a rally a year after Hamas’ attack serves as a reminder that the Israel-Palestine conflict started “way before” Oct. 7, 2023.
“It’s also really important for Jewish people who don’t support Israel … to stand up and be very loud and proud about it,” Leeds said. “This does not represent Jewish people, and we are not all represented by this.”
Zachary Stern, a junior at Suffolk University and a member of the Jewish diaspora, said awareness of the conflict within the Jewish community has grown on college campuses, including Suffolk.
“At the end of the day, being Jewish is not being pro-Israel,” Stern said. “That’s a big distinction that should be known.”
Given the surge of protests across the country over the past year, tensions have considerably heightened between supporters of both Israel and Palestine.
Those supporting Israel emphasize the importance of ensuring that history does not repeat itself again.
Cohen said those affected by the events of Oct. 7, 2023, were “traumatized,” which has led to the spread of “extreme” rhetoric in demonstrations supporting Palestine over the past year. However, she said the message of the pro-Israel demonstrations she’s participated in has always been that attacks like the one on Oct. 7 “can never happen again.”
“There are people that are extreme, and they say things and sometimes do things, but overall, I think most of the rallies for support of Israel, at least the ones I participated in and I see supported, were all for just being there to show our community … that they can live on in their faith,” Cohen said.
Those who support Palestine have reiterated that the Israel-Palestine conflict is a deeply ingrained struggle that is far from over.
Abusharkh said the events of Oct. 7, 2023, were “not the beginning and not the end” of the ongoing Israel-Palestine conflict. He said the community needs to recognize the “heart and soul” of the conflict and “look at the whole picture.”
“Palestine is the center now, but we need to … know that the struggle is really much longer than we think,” Abusharkh said. “I always like to say in every rally and everything, it’s in solidarity … for a free world, starting with a free Palestine.”
