Oct. 7 remembrances held in NYC, as families and survivors hold out hope for ceasefire deal
Remembrances were held around the New York City area Tuesday marking two years since the Oct. 7, 2023 Hamas attack on Israel that sparked the war in Gaza and continues to reverberate across the Middle East.
Hamas militants launched an unprecedented attack on Israel, killing more than 1,200 people that day and taking more than 250 others hostage.
Circle of Unity event in Central Park
Nearly a thousand people gathered Tuesday on Central Park's Great Lawn for an event called the Circle of Unity. Each attendee was give a name of a soul to carry in their hearts.
As they commemorate Oct. 7 and remember the victims, it's also the Jewish holiday of Sukkot, a time that's typically joyous and devoted to peace and reflection. Sukkot prohibits public mourning, so organizers say the event is a celebration of life, as many were doing two years ago, prior to the attacks.
Organizers wanted the Great Lawn to be the "greatest show of Jewish strength, pride and resilience."
"We are going to be reading tahlim, which is an ancient biblical psalm. We are also going to singing in their memory," Yair Klyman said. "What antisemites want us to do is hide so today is about Circle of Unity show of Jewish pride, instead of Jewish hide."
Jews walked the circular path around the lawn, praying for peace.
"Sukkot is a holiday of unity. So it's somewhat of a balancing act that we're here. We're holding the pain, the grief. We're remembering the lives lost. But at the same time, we stand together in unity, and we're resilient people," Sara Armet said. "I think the most important thing to reflect on events of Oct. 7, to look to the future, and it's optimistic to me that we can all show up, be present and peaceful."
"I remember the day and I woke up, and my mom - she's Israeli - she was on the phone trying to get to her mom and sister to see if she was alive," 13-year-old Shira Garren said.
Israelis and Jews are being called to not only look back on the Oct. 7 tragedy but to look forward, toward healing and peace.
Through song, prayer and dance, the Circle of Unity event will take place Tuesday afternoon on the Great Lawn. It's intended to transform loss into a joyous expression of Jewish identity.
A Nova Music Festival survivor explained the challenges of turning that tragic day into something that can be remembered through dance, prayer and celebration.
"This is one of the hardest things that I am trying to do for the last two years, and I am still happy, I am still grateful for everything I have," Nova survivor Maya Izoutcheev said. "Hug each other. Enjoy one another. Enjoy your loved ones."
Her best friend's brother, Guy Gilboa Dalal, is one of the 48 hostages who remain in Hamas captivity.
Edan Alexander meets with President Trump
As commemorations are being held across Israel and in Jewish communities around the world, many say the day feels especially touching as it serves as a reminder of the ongoing hope for peace, even amid sadness.
Former American-Israeli hostage Edan Alexander and his family met again with President Trump at the White House on Tuesday afternoon to bring attention to the ongoing hostage situation.
A street was renamed in Alexander's honor in his hometown of Tenafly, New Jersey last week.
"A year and a half in captivity was the hardest thing I've ever gone through, but I never felt completely alone," he said at the time.
"We're still doing whatever we can, my family in Tel Aviv still doing whatever they can in meetings, in the hostage plaza. We are not going to stop 'til everyone will come back home. It's not OK," Edan's mother, Yael Alexander, said.
"A unique brand of torment"
Two years later, memories from Oct. 7 remain vivid for many. For survivors and families of the victims, the pain has never gone away.
Rachel Goldberg Polin said her son, Hersh, was captured and killed by Hamas at the Nova Music Festival.
"I think, when it's a child, it's a unique brand of torment," she told CBS News New York. "You don't get better, because when you're broken in a certain way, you just have to learn how to live with that brokenness."
She said she still has conversations with her son.
"I say, 'Good morning, my sweet boy. Let me feel your love and your light today. No more pain, just love and strength," she said.
Goldberg Polin said she believes a deal to release the hostages is closer than ever, but she also remembers the suffering civilians in Gaza are going through.
"If you only cry when one side's babies die, it means your moral compass is broken, and therefore, your humanity is broken," she said.
