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Editor’s note: This article contains mention of violence and antisemitism

Syracuse Jewish organizations held a community memorial Sunday night, honoring the two-year anniversary of the Oct. 7 Hamas-led attacks on Israel. The event welcomed several speakers, including family members of victims and a Nova Music Festival survivor.

With about 100 people in attendance, the event honored victims of the Oct. 7 attack through song and dance, music, prayer, messages from Jewish community members and personal accounts of the attacks. The memorial also included a mini-exhibition with photos by Israeli photojournalist Ziv Koren.

The memorial, titled “Remembrance. Resilience. Hope.” was organized by The Sam Pomeranz Jewish Community Center of Syracuse, Jewish Federation of Central New York and End Antisemitism Now.

JCC executive director Marci Erlebacher said the event was a reminder to “never forget” the pain and grief caused by the Oct. 7 attacks, and to try and create a community with less hate.

“It’s going to be something that we have to commemorate forever,” Erlebacher said. “Because the minute we forget, the minute we don’t remember what happened, then these lives are for nothing.”

The memorial began with a lighting of memorial candles, followed by a moment of silence for the people lost during and after the Oct. 7 attacks. Erlebacher and Mark Segel, president and CEO of the Jewish Federation of CNY, led the candle lighting and encouraged attendees to continue to provide support for one another.

“Our support is not just a choice, it’s a moral obligation,” Segel said.

Megan Coleman, WSTM-TV news anchor, served as the facilitator of the event, introducing rabbis and other community members for a series of prayers, performances and speeches.

She said the memorial was a reminder that it’s the Jewish community’s duty to continue to share the stories of victims and give a voice to the 48 hostages still in captivity, as of Oct. 4.

Marissa Carello and Abby Carello, two attendees, performed a dance to Demi Lovato’s “Warrior” in honor of Yuval Raphael, a survivor of the attacks and the winner of several Israeli music competitions for her performance of the same song.

Ashley Levin, another attendee, gave a speech about Raphael, saying the song embodied the resilience of the Israeli spirit in the face of challenges. Raphael’s music — especially her song “A New Day will Rise” — explored hope after loss and tragedy, Levin said.

Another survivor, an Israel Defense Forces officer whose identity organizers asked to protect, was at the Nova Festival as an attendee during the attacks. The speaker gave their account, explaining how many of their friends were injured, shot and killed trying to escape.

The survivor was from the Syracuse area and had been a part of the JCC growing up, Erlebacher said.

The parents of Hersh Goldberg-Polin also sent a video message, which was played on the projector. Hamas held Goldberg-Polin, who was a 23-year-old American-Israeli, for almost 11 months until his body was discovered in a tunnel in August 2024.

His mom, Rachel Goldberg-Polin, reminded the audience that there are still 48 hostages being held by Hamas, only 20 of whom are thought to be alive.

She also referenced a quote from Viktor Frankl that Hersh Goldberg-Polin would repeatedly tell other hostages during their captivity — “when you have a why, you can bear any how” — which became a mantra and a prayer for many of the hostages.

She said she frequently comes back to this phrase while dealing with the grief of losing her son and through her work as an American-Israeli activist. Rachel Goldberg-Polin said she wonders what that “why” was for Hersh.

After President Donald Trump proposed a 20-point United States peace plan, Hamas agreed to some points, including freeing hostages and handing over Gaza governance to Palestinian technocrats, but is seeking negotiations on other issues.

Peace talks between Hamas and Israel are set for Monday, and Trump wrote on social media that the talks have been “very successful” and urged mediators to “move fast” to come to an agreement.

Several community members, including Max Greenky, Grace Dean and Frida Kristal Golan, spoke about family members or friends who were victims. Videos and documentaries from amputees and survivors were also shared during the memorial.

Golan said 64 men and women were killed in Kfar Aza, where she lives, on Oct. 7.

“This day turned our lives into continuous mourning and a wound that cannot be healed. Since that day, the joy has drained away,” Golan said. “The air feels heavy, and every heart carries an unending ache for me, for my family, for my kibbutz, life has been shattered.”

Toward the beginning of the event, eight community rabbis each gave prayers for Israel. Cantors Esa Jaffe, Kari Eglash and Joe Eglash performed the Hatikvah, Israel’s national anthem, closing out the memorial.

Segel said the event was an opportunity to come together while sharing their grief and pain. He said the Oct. 7 events should never be forgotten, ensuring they never happen again.

“It’s essential that we have an understanding of the difference between good and evil,” Segel said. “And ensure that evil does not survive.”

Segel said the Friday terrorist attack at a synagogue in Manchester, England, was a sign that nobody’s safe, regardless of whether they’re Jewish or not. He said that despite attending numerous memorials, these events always make him emotional and he doesn’t see that going away anytime soon.

“We must remain united, strong, hopeful and we must keep asking ourselves why,” Coleman said. “Why it is so important to have a strong Jewish community, why we must remain resilient in the face of rising antisemitism, why Israel is important to us as Jews, and why it is so crucial to hold on to the Jewish community in Syracuse.”

Published on October 6, 2025 at 12:08 am
Contact Kate: kjacks19@syr.edu