Marking October 7th in Calgary

by Holly Shifrah

(AJNews) – The Calgary Jewish community gathered the evening of Sunday, October 5th to mark 2 years since the October 7th terrorist attack in Israel. The “Community Commemoration for Reflection & Resilience” was organized and supported by The Calgary Jewish Federation, the Paperny Family JCC, and Beth Tzedec Congregation, where the event took place.

As the large crowd, estimated at five hundred and fifty people, filtered past private security outside and into Beth Tzedec’s sanctuary, a slide show displayed images of extensive kibbutz damage, rockets being fired, IDF soldiers in battle, and civilians in the aftermath of the attack and during the on-going war. The slides and the visible security were a sad reminder of the pain not only of October 7, 2023, but the recent Yom Kippur attack on a synagogue in Manchester, England which has prompted renewed discussions amongst Jews all over the world about safety and security issues.

The event began with the singing of “Oh, Canada” and “Hatikvah” before remarks from Rob Nagus, the CEO of The Calgary Jewish Federation, who also took a moment to thank the allies, friends, and politicians present in support of the Jewish community. Nagus concluded his remarks with a charge for the community to fulfill the sacred responsibility of remembering the lives lost on October 7th while also embodying hope and determination.

Lisa Libin, President of the Calgary Jewish Federation, followed with heartfelt observations on how the world, and Jews’ understanding of our place in our wider communities, has changed. But she also remarked that “being Jewish isn’t about tragedy; it’s about community,” an idea that was well represented by the large gathering of Jews from many different subsets of the larger Calgary Jewish community. It also happened to be one of the themes explored in the film that was screened as the final component of the night, “The New Jew: Days of War” featuring Israeli comedian Guri Alfi (directed by Asaf Nawi and Moshe Samuels).

The film, a follow up to the 2021 TV miniseries “The New Jew” engaged with American Jews of different ages, backgrounds, and political leanings to discuss their experiences and perspectives of what it means to be Jewish in a post-October 7th world. “The New Jew: Days of War” highlights how the terror and tragedy of October 7th, and the ongoing hostility and violence since then, has united and fostered new friendships amongst Jews; both within municipal and state communities but also across the world: such as mothers coming together to fight growing antisemitism in their children’s schools or the example of an American family and an Israeli family coming together to create a new kind of extended family as they grieved the loss of the lone soldier they both knew and loved. The film also doesn’t shy away from asking the audience to consider if the differences that divide Jews theologically, politically, culturally, and geographically matter much less in a world full of those determined to see Jews as a monolith.

The event also included blessings and poems read by various participants, a thank you to Harvey Cyngiser and a promotion for the upcoming Calgary Jewish Film Festival he founded and directs, and a beautifully sung El Maleh from Elliott Steinberg (Creative Director, Western Region, of the Friends of JNF Canada) who also led the gathering in reciting the Mourner’s Kaddish. As one sat amongst the throng, noting the variety of backgrounds, communities, and lived experiences of those present; contemplating the stories and themes of the film, combined with the awareness that the event itself was a collaborative effort of multiple organizations and individuals from across Jewish Calgary, the closing remarks which included the wish that we “may find strength in each other. Am Yisrael Chai” carried an immense weight and the precise sense of hopefulness that is necessary to cope with the grief that has rocked our communities every day since October 7th.

The events of that day have made clear that the most extreme proponents of hatred in this world will never distinguish amongst us. Many of us have heard the stories of peace activists whose lives were spent trying to better the lives of their Palestinian neighbors who were murdered just as readily as active duty IDF soldiers and secularly minded young Jews who just wanted to dance. Though terrorists see fit to flatten and attack Jews as a single entity, it is our great pride and privilege to uphold and celebrate our kaleidoscopic unity as a blessing. We may differ in perspectives on theology, law, dress, politics, and even food; as the saying goes, “two Jews, three opinions.” But perhaps the tongue-in-cheek cliché might be amended to “two Jews, three opinions, one people” because, to reiterate Lisa Libin’s words, “it’s about community.”

Holly Shifrah is a Local Journalism Initiative Reporter.