The White House on Monday marked one year since Hamas operatives attacked civilian targets inside Israel with somber events and prayers for the victims, with Vice President Kamala Harris saying the world has a responsibility to defend Israel and all Jewish people.
American officials and lawmakers recognized the anniversary at events, on social media and in statements that professed Washington’s support for Israel. Since the Hamas attack that killed 1,200 Israelis and injured 8,700 more, the Jewish state has waged a brutal war in Gaza that has killed 41,000 people and injured more than 96,700 as of Oct. 3, according to the Hamas-run Gaza Ministry of Health.
President Joe Biden and first lady Jill Biden marked the anniversary Monday at the White House, joined in the Blue Room by Rabbi Aaron Alexander of Adas Israel Congregation.
Alexander called Oct. 7, 2023, a “devastating day” before reciting in Hebrew then English a prayer titled “God Full of Mercy,” which he said the Jewish community chants at funerals and memorial services and on the anniversary of a person’s death.
“God, full of mercy, who dwells on high, grant fitting rest on the wings of the divine presence to the holy and pure, the brave, for the souls of the holy ones, men, women and children who were killed on Oct. 7,” Alexander said. “For this, we pray for the ascent of their souls. May they rest in the Garden of Eden. May you shelter them in the shadow of your wings forever, and may their souls be bound up in the bond of everlasting life. May they rest in peace. And we say, amen.”
Biden lit a yahrzeit candle on a table that was positioned in front of them. The president softly said, “Thank you” to the journalists in the room as the trio exited.
“On this day of remembrance, which also falls during the holiest days of the Jewish calendar, we honor the indomitable spirit of the Jewish people and mourn the victims of October 7th,” the president said in a Monday morning statement. “May their memory be a blessing.”
Biden participated in the remembrance hours after Rep. Greg Landsman of Ohio, who is a Jewish Democrat, posted on X that protesters objecting to Israel’s military operation descended on his 1st District residence.
“A group of masked anti-Israel protesters assembled outside my home early Sunday morning and remained through the evening, forcing police to escort my family in and out of our house for safety,” he wrote.
The group Midwest Action 4 Pali! posted a video of the demonstration on Instagram, writing it was meant to “denounce his votes to conceal the death toll and continue funding mass murder in Gaza,” adding, “We mark in solemn vigil that we will not rest until the genocide is over and Palestine is free.”
Meanwhile, the candidates running to replace Biden also marked the day.
Vice President Kamala Harris, the Democratic presidential nominee, planted a pomegranate tree, which she said represents hope and righteousness in Judaism, at the Naval Observatory in Washington, saying she is “devastated by the pain and loss that occurred on Oct. 7.”
“Forty-six of our fellow Americans were killed in this brutal terrorist attack, including a singer from Missouri who died shielding her son from bullets, an academic and peace activist who studied in Seattle and who was the grandson of Holocaust survivors,” Harris said. “And a dancer from California who was killed alongside her fiancé while attending the Nova Music Festival.
“I believe that we must never forget. I will never forget Oct. 7th, and the world must never forget what is asked of us. We must work to ensure nothing like the horrors of Oct. 7th can ever happen again,” she added as protesters speaking through bullhorns outside her gated residence could be heard, along with police sirens. “And on this solemn day, I will restate my pledge to always ensure that Israel has what it needs to defend itself, and that I will always work to ensure the safety and security of the Jewish people here and around the world.”
Harris did give a verbal nod to the losses on the Palestinian side, saying: “We must work to relieve the immense suffering of innocent Palestinians in Gaza who have experienced so much pain and loss over the [last] year. What is asked of us? We must continue to see light amidst the darkness.”
Second gentleman Doug Emhoff, who is Jewish, spoke after his wife, calling the anniversary “an incredibly challenging day for Jews around the world, myself included.”
“We are still hurting, and today feels just as raw as it did one year ago. What happened on Oct. 7th is seared into our souls,” he added. “I can’t stop thinking about the hostages and their families and all of those we’ve lost over the past year.”
Former President Donald Trump, the GOP presidential nominee, visited Ohel Chabad Lubavitch, the final resting place of Menachem Mendel Schneerson in New York. Schneerson led the Chabad-Lubavitch movement of Orthodox Judaism. Trump also was scheduled to participate in an Oct. 7 remembrance service in Miami.
While Biden and Harris opted for somber tones on Monday, Trump’s team injected election-year politics into its anniversary message.
“The atrocities, including the slaughtering and capturing of innocent Israelis and Americans, that took place on October 7th would have never happened if President Trump were still in the White House,” Karoline Leavitt, national press secretary for the Trump campaign, said in a statement.
“For Americans and Israelis alike, it’s imperative that President Trump is reelected so he can end the bloodshed caused by an emboldened Iranian terrorist regime, which is stronger and richer today from the Harris-Biden administration’s incompetence and weak policies.” she added.
Meanwhile, Defense Secretary Lloyd J. Austin III in a statement noted that U.S. military forces have assisted Israeli forces several times to defeat attempted Iranian missile and drone attacks since Oct. 7.
“The Department of Defense will not flinch in our commitment to Israel’s security, to combating terrorism by Hamas and other fanatical groups, to deterring further aggression from Iran,” Austin said, “and to working with our allies and partners to promote stability and peace in the Middle East.”
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