HUNTSVILLE, Ala. — Israel is in mourning a year after an attack on civilian life took place. "It was considered and is considered the largest attack upon the Jewish people since the Holocaust," said Rabbi PJ Schwartz of Temple B'nai Sholom.
According to the Israeli Ministry of Foreign Affairs, more than 1,200 people were killed in Israel on October 7th 2023. Around 100 hostages remain in Gaza. The World Health Organization says over 41,000 people have died in Gaza since the war began.
Rabbi Schwartz said, "We talk about a return of peace, hopefully and there are days in which I'm not sure if we can get there, and there are days in which I hold on to hope."
After time, the message remains the same. "We continue to grieve all of the lives that have been lost. We continue to demand that the hostages be returned."
Here in Huntsville, people are remembering the horrific events in a unique way. "The Museum of Jewish People in Israel has an exhibit called October Seventh that is displayed throughout the museum itself," said Rabbi Schwartz. Copies of panels on display at the ANU Museum of the Jewish People are on display at the First Baptist Church in Huntsville.
"These panels are artistic expressions or creative expressions that emerged as the result of October 7th and share the diversity of response to the horrors of that day," said Rabbi Schwartz.
These art pieces help speak to all of the emotions attached to a day etched into many minds. Rabbi Schwartz said, "It speaks to the resilience, the pain, the grief, the sadness, the adversity, the quest to overcome obstacles, the celebration even of peoplehood, and the sacredness of being in community. and it's very, very unique to be able to see how all of these panels express that."