Members of Vancouver’s Jewish community say they are marking the anniversary of the 2023 Hamas attacks on Israel that triggered an escalating conflict in the Middle East with profound sadness and ongoing unease.
Several police officers were posted outside the Talmud Torah School on Oak Street as parents dropped off their children on Monday morning.
Allie Saks, who has two children at Talmud Torah, broke down in tears as she described Oct. 7 as a “day of grieving,” adding that it’s hard to drop off a child at school where they “have to see police in front.”
The Vancouver Police Department said it is stationing extra officers at faith-based schools and places of worship on Monday.
Rabbi Andrew Rosenblatt of the nearby Schara Tzedeck synagogue says the Oct. 7 attack and the community’s reaction are “a little bit akin to the anniversary of 9/11,” referring to the terrorist attacks in New York and Washington, D.C., in 2001.
The synagogue was the scene of an arson attack in May that blackened the temple’s doors.
Rosenblatt says a silver lining has been the response of most Canadians in the past year. He says people are “rediscovering how important it is to feel close and in lock-step with the Jewish community.”
The Oct. 7, 2023, attacks by Hamas militants in Israel killed about 1,200 people, while about 250 more were taken hostage.
It triggered an Israeli counteroffensive on the Hamas-held Gaza Strip that the territory’s health ministry says has left more than 41,000 Palestinians dead. The conflict has since escalated into nearby Lebanon, where Israel has targeted Hezbollah militants, who have been firing missiles at Israel regularly.
About 100 of the hostages taken by Hamas in the Oct. 7 attacks have not been returned.
In a post on social media platform X, B.C. NDP Leader David Eby said the province’s residents still feel deeply “the pain and sorrow” from Oct. 7 and “stand firmly against violence and its glorification.”
In a statement, B.C. Conservative Leader John Rustad denounced the attacks and “celebrating the massacre of Jews and glorifying terrorist organizations” by some local protesters. He called for immediate action to crack down on those who “call for violence against minority communities, particularly Jews.”
B.C. Green Party Leader Sonia Furstenau said in a statement that her party members “are committed to the safety of all British Columbians and stand firmly against hate in all its forms.”