Somber vigils in Palo Alto and San Francisco to grieve the loss of six Israeli hostages executed by Hamas drew public officials and hundreds of Jewish mourners on Monday night.
Those events followed a memorial service at Berkeley’s Congregation Beth Israel on Sunday evening, less than a day after their deaths in a Gaza tunnel after nearly 330 days of captivity became public. Additional vigils are planned for Tuesday night across the region.
More than 200 people gathered in Palo Alto’s Heritage Park at sunset Monday beside a towering redwood. Mourners lit dozens of yahrzeit candles during a vigil organized by One Tribe One Star, a pro-Israel grassroots nonprofit whose efforts have included dance flash mobs.
“Usually, when we gather with our fabulous community, it’s to rally or perform,” co-founder Isabelle Marcus told those in attendance. On Monday, however, “we stand together in this peaceful place as one, heartbroken, to share our grief and profound pain for the loss of the precious lives of the six hostages who were executed.”
At twilight, Jewish community members, including teenagers and synagogue lay leaders, read the names of the murdered hostages: Ori Danino, Carmel Gat, Hersh Goldberg-Polin, Alex Lubnov, Almog Sarusi and Eden Yerushalmi.
Goldberg-Polin was born in the East Bay and spent his early childhood in Berkeley before his family made aliyah when he was 7. He and his family were members of Congregation Beth Israel.
Palo Alto Mayor Greer Stone spoke of the hostages’ lost hopes and dreams when their lives were cut short.
“We mourn with you, we stand with you, and we vow to continue working for a future where no family has to endure such an unimaginable pain,” he said. “May their memories be a blessing.”
Other officials in attendance included Jeff Rosen, the Santa Clara County district attorney, and Evan Low, a state Assemblymember running to replace retiring U.S. Rep. Anna Eshoo, whose district includes parts of the Peninsula and South Bay.
“I’m heartbroken by the murder of fellow Bay Area native Hersh Goldberg-Polin,” said Low, who came with his family. “Our resolve must continue. Hamas must be eliminated.”
At the same time in San Francisco, Malka Productions, a Jewish group known for hosting parties and other events for young adult Jews, held a vigil for more than 300 people at the Menorah Center (formerly known as the Russian-speaking Jewish Community of SF Bay Area) in the Richmond District.
“This is a critical moment in the war, and we needed space for us to unapologetically share our pain,” Malka co-founder Danielle Chetrit told J. “Our mission is to empower young Jews, and we’ve never hosted a vigil before, so I’m very grateful to the large S.F. Jewish organizations that came together to support it.”
Guests and co-sponsors included Maya Avishai, deputy consul general of the Israel Consulate in San Francisco, Briton Camphouse of the Jewish Community Relations Council Bay Area, Adi Perez of the Israeli-American Council’s Bay Area region and Oleg Ivanov of StandWithUs, Northern California region.
Singer Itzik Lerner led “Hatikvah,” Israel’s national anthem. Rabbi Shimon Margolin, who directs the Menorah Center, addressed the audience.
“We might be heartbroken, but we are not broken down,” Margolin told those gathered. “No matter how much security we have to have at our doors, we’ll still fill our synagogues.”
He added, “Our message is also to the people of Israel that we are with them, and their pain is our pain. And as long as our people know that we are one family and one community, no one will ever take us down.”