A gathering at a home in Silver Spring Sunday commemorated the eve of the one-year anniversary of Oct. 7, when 1,200 people in Israel were killed by Hamas militants and another 250 were taken hostage. In the year since, nearly 42-thousand Palestinians have been killed by Israel's military campaign in Gaza.
The gathering was small, intimate and powerful, and for those in attendance, it’s a way of dealing with grief, both personal and generational.
Leila Levi's cousin, 34-year-old Daniel Levy Ludmir, left the safety of a bomb shelter during the Oct. 7 attack. He was a doctor, and he heard that help was needed at a kibbutz clinic, but he died there after it was attacked.
He was remembered at the gathering brought together by the organization Sephardic Heritage International.
“My preference certainly is that I would never have to talk about this, but I think it’s a Jewish custom to bear witness and we believe it is important to commemorate things annually and the lifecycle of this,” Levi said. “This is our first annual commemoration after a year, and I know that like many other Jewish-Americans, I lean heavily on Jewish loved ones, and it's lovely to be in community.”
As the observance of that sad day approaches, more outpourings and gatherings like this — and hopefully homecomings for those who are still there — are expected.
“To be able to hear the story of someone, their aspirations, what they did, their family,” said Afraim Kafka, who attended the gathering. “And I think for any of us that are trying to heal and mourning, that’s really what’s at the heart of healing and being able to move forward.”
