SEATTLE — Today marks one year since Hamas militants stormed southern Israel, killing more than 1,200 people and taking some 250 more hostages. The terrorist attacks of Oct. 7, 2023, in Israel have ignited a wider conflict that has claimed tens of thousands of lives. There is pain on all sides of this conflict, but Monday's focus at the University of Washington was on the innocent lives lost in Israel.
Rabbi Mendel Weingarten and his wife Miriam are spreading a message of kindness, one young person at a time.
“I feel like the Jewish community has come together and we’re stronger than ever,” Miriam Weingarten said. “Because, as we say, we are a nation of survival. We have survived, and we will continue to survive,” she continued.
Rabbi Weingarten leads the Chabad Center for Jewish Life at the University of Washington – creating what they call a home away from home for the hundreds of Jewish students on campus.
“Those who were killed are not here to bring light into this world, but we’re their hands and feet to do it and that’s why we’re here to help every student, every faculty member and everybody who’s walking through campus do a good act, do a mitzvah and bring more positivity and light into this world in memory of those who have passed,” Mendel Weingarten said.
The attack on Israel sparked a larger conflict that’s claimed tens of thousands of lives – the vast majority of deaths in the Gaza Strip. A conflict that to date shows no signs of slowing – peace remains elusive.
“I think we’re going to look back and we’re going to see that we survived and we’re stronger than we were and we’re going to definitely make sure to remember those who perished and gave up their lives but we’re definitely going to look back and see that they didn’t win us,” Miriam said.
The FBI issued a public service announcement highlighting potential threats in the U.S. on Oct. 7 -- asking the public to stay vigilant.
The Jewish Federation of Greater Seattle hosted a memorial Monday night to honor those killed on Oct. 7. They also shared messages of hope.
"We embrace the character of our traditions, using the moment to move from mourning to light, from the abyss of lament and loss to vision and possibility," one speaker said.