Today, October 7, is the first anniversary of the deadliest day for the Jewish people since the Holocaust, one of the darkest days for Jewish people in our millennial-long history.

We remember the terrifying images of death squads (some of them broadcast by members of those squads themselves) breaking through Israel’s border with Gaza into sovereign territory, with the sole intent of murdering as many people as possible. We remember the victims of that day, the 1200 massacred in unimaginably barbaric ways, the thousands more mutilated, and the hundreds abducted to Gaza, of whom 101 remain there. We remember the threats of Hamas, the ruling regime of Gaza, to keep repeating days like October 7 until it achieves its aim of eradicating Israel and its people. We remember those who have celebrated, justified and denied the atrocities of October 7, including on that very day. We remember Israelis’ acts of bravery and resistance that day and in the days after. We remember our allies and friends who have supported us over the last year and understand what is at stake.

Today, the Jewish community will be holding memorial services in Wellington and Auckland behind closed doors, and in smaller centres. We will be grieving, and praying both for the survival of our people’s homeland and for better days when peace will reign over the Middle East.

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