Led by Rabbi Irwin and Reb Mia

On this second anniversary of the October 7th attacks in the south of Israel, we gather to sit in memory and sadness. For many of us, it remains an open wound. The grief is still raw. The war continues. The moral questions only grow heavier. And the suffering continues to deepen.

On that day, 1,200 people — including children, elders, and entire families — were murdered by Hamas. Two hundred fifty-four people were taken hostage; many are still not home. This horror lives in our collective memory.

At the same time, we are witnessing unbearable devastation in Gaza — tens of thousands of lives lost, families destroyed, generations shaped by trauma and displacement.

We believe this deeply: Grieving Jewish lives does not cancel our heartbreak over Gaza. And grieving Gaza does not diminish our pain as Jews. Both are true. Both are sacred.

This is what it means to be human — to be awake and alive in a time like this. And this is why we gather — to make space for the grief, for the love, for the complexity.

This tri-fold ritual will include these elements:

• Remembering by reading the names of those who perished on October 7;

• Grieving through a stone and water ritual; and

• Praying for a better world by writing our prayers and folding them into peace doves to hang in our sukkah

This event is in person only and open to Ner Shalom members only. Please bring a battery-powered lantern to help us fill the space with light.