Utah Jewish community, elected officials and faith leaders remember Oct. 7

A sea of Israeli and American flags were held up in the air for over an hour Monday as a memorial took place on the steps of the Utah Capitol one year after the events of Oct. 7.
The day marked the worst tragedy for Jewish people and Israel since the Holocaust, said Alex Shapiro. Standing at a podium, he said, “1,200 were murdered and approximately 250 were taken hostage, of which 101 are still held in Gaza, four of whom are American citizens.”
Some of the more than 100 attendees held up posters with pictures of the hostages. Others wore stickers saying “Day 365” and shirts saying “Never Again is Now” during the memorial which included Jewish rabbis, a leader from Salt Lake City’s First Baptist Church, a general authority from The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints and two members of Utah’s congressional delegation.
The memorial included the screening of video footage from the beginning moments of Hamas’ terror attacks on Israel, testimony of survivors and speakers acknowledging the horror of the attacks and the hope they have for a brighter future.
For the hostages still held far from their homes, Shapiro, the CEO of the United Jewish Federation of Utah, said “we pray for an immediate return.”
For those who were killed, “we honor their memory and stand in solidarity with their families, offering our deepest condolences and unwavering support,” he said. “We also mourn needless loss of lives in Gaza and Lebanon and the suffering of civilians caught in harm’s way.”
Rabbi Samuel L. Spector of Congregation Kol Ami said he went to Israel a few weeks after the attack. There he attended rallies to bring hostages home and held people in bomb shelters as sirens rang out.
Everywhere he turned, he said he saw two Hebrew words that mean: “united we will win.”
“These words became the mantra of every person in Israel,” said Rabbi Spector, explaining they were used by people of all political affiliations. He said Utah’s Jewish community is now stronger than ever.
“We stand with each other, our friends stand here with us and we stand with the people in Israel and we will not stop standing until every Israeli in the south, every Israeli in the north, every Israeli who is being held hostage in Gaza is home,” said Rabbi Spector.
Prayers were interspersed with several speeches, like the one offered by Rabbi Benny Zippel from Chabad of Utah. He dedicated Psalm 121 to those who were murdered, both civilians and soldiers, those who were raped and taken hostage, and their loved ones.
First speaking the Psalm in Hebrew then English, Rabbi Zippel said, “The Lord is your guardian, the Lord is your protective shade at your right hand.” He prayed for a state of harmony and peace.
In Judaism, there is an intense period of mourning following the death of a loved one that lasts seven days, said Rabbi Jonathan Hecht. The period of mourning that started on Oct. 7 has not ended.
“We scream in anger, despair and rage,” said Rabbi Hecht. “We despair of the prospects for peace. We are outraged by those who demand that we cease fighting for our very existence.”
But, he said, the Jewish people can join hands to reclaim hope and not let it be taken away.
Maya Skurnik, who works for the Jewish Federation of Utah, spoke about her sister who was at the Nova musical festival on October 7.
After seeing rockets fired from Gaza that day, her sister got into a car to escape the danger zone. Then, she and her friends saw white trucks on the road.
“In a matter of seconds, armed Hamas terrorists unloaded from the trucks and began going from car to car, executing those sitting in them and those who tried to hide or escape,” said Skurnik.
Her sister got out of her car and ran through the open fields for hours — Skurnik said her family did not know if her sister was dead or alive. Her sister’s name was not on any handwritten lists of survivors. But eventually, her sister was rescued.
“The relief my family felt with my sister’s return to safety was soon replaced by a new fear when my younger brother was called up to serve that very day,” said Skurnik. “This paralyzing, all-consuming fear has been the reality of so many Israeli families for a year now.”
Looking into the crowd, Skurnik said she felt hope. “I see people who travel from near and far to stand in solidarity with us.”
As the rabbis and others were speaking, faith leaders and two members of Utah’s congressional delegation stood behind them, Reps. Celeste Maloy and Blake Moore. Morgan Keller read a prepared statement from Utah Gov. Spencer Cox who was unable to attend.
Elder Kevin W. Pearson, president of the Utah Area of the Church of Jesus Christ, read from the First Presidency’s statement given days after Oct. 7, expressing devastation over what happened.
Later, he said, “We are brothers and sisters. We mourn as you mourn. We share your sorrows and heartache. Though we may endure seasons of distress and grief in a world too often filled with contention, divisiveness, hostility and violence, we share a common value of the importance of hope and optimism.”
Rev. Curtis Price of the First Baptist Church in Salt Lake City said his heart aches for loved ones waiting for their family members held hostage by Hamas to be returned.
“I am so grateful for the unique intercultural and interfaith relationships that have been the norm in Utah for such a long time,” said Rev. Price.
But he said those bonds need to become deeper and people of faith need to express compassion for those who are suffering.
“I want my Jewish neighbors to know that on this day, when being Jewish made one a target in a way we have not seen in a very long time, you do not mourn alone,” said Rev. Price.
The two members of Congress brought with them a joint statement they signed along with Reps. John Curtis and Burgess Owens as well as Sens. Mike Lee and Mitt Romney.
The Utah delegation said they condemned the evil of the terrorism Israel faced from Hamas, said Moore as he read the statement. “We call for the immediate return of all hostages held by Hamas and stand with those fighting the scourge of anti-Semitism in our world.”
Calling Israel the most important ally America has in the Middle East, Moore said the two countries share much in common and “this premeditated attack was acutely felt in Utah and across the United States.”
“We continue our efforts to promote strong American leadership that rejects anti-Semitism at home and abroad, ends accommodation efforts with Iran and supports the defense and security of the state of Israel,” said Moore.
Maloy said she wanted to point out the Utah delegation is united.
“We’re united with our Jewish brothers and sisters, with our Israeli brothers and sisters, and praying that this new year brings more peace,” she said.
As the memorial drew to a close, the participants sang two songs: Hatikvah, the national anthem of Israel, and America the Beautiful.