Today, we remember.
Today is the first anniversary of 7th October 2023, a day that traumatised the Jewish people and will live in infamy.
On this day, the Jewish people suffered the worst antisemitic massacre since the Holocaust when Hamas terrorists invaded Israel, murdering some 1,200 people and taking over 250 hostage.
We remember the victims who brutally lost their lives that day, some of whom lived their final moments in agony. We also remember the brave acts of heroism from those who made it their mission to help and rescue others nearby, even if it cost them their life.
May their memory be a blessing.
Through the testimonies of courageous survivors, we are still piecing together the horrific events of that day.
We continue to fight for the release of the over 100 hostages who still remain in captivity. They and their loved ones are in our thoughts. The Jewish people is incomplete without them.
We were proud to partner with organisations across the Jewish community in support of the commemorative event in Hyde Park yesterday, and to host a stall to speak to members of the community.
London supports the hostages
As we know, one year ago today, Hamas terrorists killed some 1,200 people and took over 250 hostage. More than 100 hostages are still being held captive.
We recently went out in London to offer pedestrians yellow ribbon pins in support of the hostages still held by Hamas. Watch what happened here.
Last week, we invited people to print off “Bring Them Home” posters and place them in their windows to show solidarity with the hostages kidnapped by Hamas terrorists on 7th October.
Thank you to everyone who has sent us photographs of your posters so far. To take part, just e-mail your picture to [email protected].
Learn more about 7th October and the hostages
Over the past year, we have released a number of episodes of our podcast addressing the events of 7th October and its impact on survivors and the families of hostages.
On this day of commemoration, you may be particularly interested in our interviews with:
- Natalie Sanandaji, a survivor of the Supernova Sukkot Gathering music festival, where some 365 people were murdered by Hamas.
- Elad Poterman, a survivor, along with his wife Maria and baby daughter, of the Kibbutz Nahal Oz massacre.
- Eylon Keshet, a cousin of Yarden Bibas who, along with baby Kfir, his five-year-old brother Ariel, and their mother Shiri, were kidnapped and taken as hostages to Gaza by Hamas.
- Dr Einat Wilf, a former Member of Knesset and leading thinker on Israel, Zionism, foreign policy and education.
Antisemitism at its highest levels
It has been reported that, over the past eleven months, there were more reported abuses of Jews than Muslims in London, for the first time.
For years, Jewish people have been by far the biggest victims of hate crime per capita – as we have previously highlighted in national billboard campaigns – but now, notwithstanding our relatively minuscule numbers, Jews are also the biggest victims in absolute terms.
This is an indictment of where our society is at, with rising levels of antisemitism and radicalisation, particularly among British youth – a trend that our national polling, released today, demonstrates. The polling has already been covered in the national press.
The antisemitic hate crime figures – which show that hate crime against Jews has increased fourfold – cannot come as a surprise to many people, particularly given that there is antisemitic rhetoric and chanting on our streets week after week. Indeed, this past Saturday, an anti-Israel demonstration was held in London marking one year since the Hamas invasion. As always, our Demonstration and Events Monitoring team was present and documented what took place.
Nearly one year on, the streets of London are filled with the same calls for intifada and grotesque Holocaust inversion. But now, support for Hizballah is on display too. This is the result of inaction from those in power who failed to forcefully clamp down on support for terror over an entire year.
Among the photographs and footage captured by our volunteers this past weekend was a man holding a pro-Hamas sign and declaring his “love for October”. The Times and The Telegraph picked up the story, and the Metropolitan Police then put out a witness appeal.
If you have any information, please e-mail us at [email protected] or contact the Metropolitan Police directly.
Join us to discuss the state of antisemitism today
From arson attacks to chants calling for intifada, to the harassment of Jewish students on campus, British Jews have been facing torrents of abuse. For the past year, our community has felt uncertain not just about safety, but our place in Britain.
One year on from 7th October, we invite you to join communal leaders for an important conversation as they discuss the current state of Jewry in Britain and what the future holds.
Hosted by journalist Nicole Lampert, the event will feature Gideon Falter, Chief Executive of Campaign Against Antisemitism, and Phil Rosenberg, President of the Board of Deputies of British Jews.
This event will take place on Wednesday 9th October at 19:00 in North London. Booking is essential. The location will be announced to ticketholders on the day.
We are one year on from what was only the beginning of a heart-wrenching period for the Jewish people and our friends and allies.
Israel’s entry into a multi-front war, continuing efforts to free the hostages and a worldwide surge in antisemitism unprecedented in recent times have deprived us of an opportunity to properly mourn and process what happened that day.
This anniversary is one such opportunity, imperfect though it may be. In the meantime, we will continue to do whatever we can to defend British Jews.
We wish those fasting this weekend an easy and meaningful Yom Kippur.