New Jersey communities gather to mark 1st anniversary of Oct. 7 attacks
It's been one year since Hamas launched a surprise deadly attack across southern and central Israel.
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The northern New Jersey community came together on Monday to mark the first anniversary of the Oct. 7 attacks in Israel.
Inbal Rahaf is an Israeli resident who was at a kibbutz when the attacks started on Oct. 7, 2023.
"It was an awful day. My legs were all the time shaking…I didn't really know what happened and I didn't realize how dangerous it was outside,” Rahaf says.
Jason Shames, the CEO of the Jewish Federation of Northern New Jersey, says residents gathered Monday night to commemorate and honor the fallen.
"This is about bringing our community together. We're feeling pain and distress and by being together and having that solidarity and unity it helps us a little bit in the healing process,” Shames says.
On Sunday, Muslim organizations in New Jersey also gathered to remember the many Palestinian lives lost.
A spokesperson for CAIR-New Jersey wrote in part, "Our Palestinian community in New Jersey has spent the past year grieving, organizing and calling for a permanent cease-fire."
President Joe Biden marked the day at a White House event, citing ongoing work by his administration to broker a cease-fire.
