The county Board of Supervisors and the L.A. City Council Tuesday marked the two-year anniversary of the Oct. 7 Hamas attacks on Israel by adjourning their meetings in honor of the 1,200 people killed and 251 taken hostage in the single deadliest day in Israel’s history.
The supervisors invited Rabbi Heather Miller to deliver an invocation during their Tuesday meeting, which she led by recognizing Monday’s start of Sukkot, the Jewish Feast of Tabernacles, celebrating the fall harvest and commemorating the desert wandering of the Jews during the Exodus from slavery in Egypt.
“This is a week when we feel our vulnerability. Two years ago today, Oct. 7, 2023, the Jewish community felt the startling vulnerability of life having witnessed on television the gruesome slaughter of 1,200 of our coreligionists and others in Israel,” Miller said.
“Those in Israel are endlessly subjected to sirens that alert the community of incoming rockets and indiscriminate terror attacks. No one should live that kind of tenuous existence these days.”
“I’m also feeling the chilling vulnerability of the surviving Gazans who dwell in huts of their own made of reclaimed rubble and scrape metal, resourced from bombed out buildings and repurposed tarps from aid packages living on a literal battlefield,” Miller added. “Hundreds of thousands of civilians struggling to survive, continue threats from every side. No one should live that kind of tenuous existence.”
Miller called for peace and the release of hostages.
“So today here in Los Angeles, I lift up a prayer for the esteemed members of this body, the Los Angeles Board of Supervisors, may you nurture that call to protect the community from the harsh winds of indifference; to protect residents here from the reign of greed and the blazing heat of hatred; may you make decisions that contribute to the stability and flourishing of all in the region, regardless of race, religion, age, creed, sexual orientation, status, income, ability, national status or primary language, so that all may be not only tranquil, but so that all may thrive,” Miller said.
Meanwhile, L.A. City Councilman Bob Blumenfield adjourned the council’s meeting in memory of the victims.
“…As we mark this solemn two-year anniversary, I continue to think about the hostages still being kept in inhumane and unimaginable conditions,” Blumenfield said. “I hope and pray that soon they will be able to see their loved ones again. I hope and pray that soon we will have peace in the region…”
The UCLA chapter of Students for Justice in Palestine organized a floral procession at noon Tuesday at the university’s De Neve Plaza in memory of the Palestinians killed in the Israel-Hamas war. Participants were asked to bring Palestinian flags and red flowers.
The local observations came as Israeli and Hamas leaders continue talks in Egypt aimed at ending the war and freeing the remaining hostages, who were captured during the Oct. 7, 2023 Nova musical festival in Southern Israel.
The talks represent the best hope for an end to the conflict and bloodshed since a ceasefire broke down in March.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has said he’s hoping to announce the release of hostages “in the coming days” — though negotiations are still in a very delicate and uncertain state. An Israeli withdrawal from Gaza is part of the talks.
The Jewish Federation of Los Angeles is planning to host a commemorative ceremony on Oct. 16 — the same day Israel will hold an official ceremony of remembrance at the country’s national cemetery on Mount Herzl in Jerusalem.
The organization said it expects more than 2,000 Angelenos to gather at the Saban Theatre in Beverly Hills for “United in Memory: LA Remembers October 7th.”.
“October 7th marks a tragic day in our history that will forever shape our collective memory,” Rabbi Noah Farkas, president and CEO of Jewish Federation Los Angeles, said in a statement.
“As we hold in our hearts and honor the 1,200 innocent lives lost and pray for the safe return of those still held hostage in unimaginable conditions, we continue to find strength in our Los Angeles community.
“Over the past two years, JFEDLA, along with Angelenos, have made enormous contributions to rebuild Israel and support mental health counseling for survivors,” Farkas added. “We’re committed to maintaining this support as long as it is needed. `United in Memory’ is a powerful source of comfort that brings us together in resilience, hope and unity.”
Israel Bachar, consul general of Israel, is expected to provide remarks at the event, which will also feature a candle lighting with family members of victims, plus diplomats and dignitaries.
The event is being organized in partnership between the Consulate General of Israel in Los Angeles, the Jewish Federation Los Angeles, the Israeli-American Council, StandWithUs, Friends of the IDF, Temple of Arts, and the Iranian American Jewish Federation.
In addition, Beverly Hills city officials on Sunday held a private dedication for its future Oct. 7 memorial, and a city spokesperson said a video of that ceremony will be available later this week.
The memorial is set for the south side of the Beverly Hills Public Library at the northeast corner of Rexford Drive and Burton Way. According to the city, the memorial’s design “will be in concert with the 9/11 Memorial on the west side of Rexford Drive and will incorporate educational signage about the attack on October 7, 2023.”
Since the 2023 attacks and Israel’s subsequent military campaign in Gaza, an estimated 67,000 Palestinians have been killed and about 170,000 wounded by Israel, according to the Gaza health ministry.
A United Nations Human Rights Council inquiry last month concluded that Israel has committed genocide against Palestinians in Gaza — though Israel denies the allegation and insists it is waging a war of self-defense.
“Israel categorically rejects the distorted and false report and calls for the immediate abolition of the Commission of Inquiry,” the country’s foreign ministry said after the UN report was released.