Melbourne memorial for the murdered hostages
The Melbourne Jewish community gathered together on Monday night at Caulfield Hebrew Congregation to light candles for the six hostages murdered in Gaza.
The service in Melbourne
The synagogue was packed out, with extra seating placed around the bimah to cope with the crowded attendance of 1,300 people.
The event was organised quickly after the announcement of the bodies of the hostages being found.
Zionism Victoria CEO Zeddy Lawrence said, “The memorial for the murdered hostages was one of the most moving events I’ve ever attended, let alone organised. Throughout the past 11 months, Zionism Victoria has sought to offer members of the community opportunities to unite in solidarity with Israel and, crucially, with each other.
And following the tragic news of Sunday, there was clearly a need for us to come together to grieve.
I’d like to pay tribute to the Zionism Victoria team and board members who helped pull together the service in such a short space of time, Rabbi Rabin and Caulfield Shule for accommodating us, all the communal organisations and volunteers who assisted us, the generous foundations and individuals who have enabled us to support the community at this time, and the community itself for coming together to support each other.”
Senior Rabbi of Caulfield Shule Rabbi Daniel Rabin said, “The community is raw with grief. We lit candles, each one a fragile light in the face of unbearable darkness. These flames are for those brutally taken from us—hostages who suffered, soldiers who fought, civilians who were murdered. Their loss is our loss.
To our brothers and sisters in Israel: if you see this, know we’re with you. We feel your pain because it’s our pain too. We’re thousands of miles away, but our hearts are right there with you, standing in your sorrow and your fight.
We pray for the safe return of those still held captive. We pray for our soldiers to come home. But more than that, we want you to know—we won’t forget, and we won’t stop standing with you. We’re in this together, now and always.”
Jewish Community Council of Victoria CEO Naomi Levin said, “Shockwaves went through our community after hearing about the tragic killing of another six hostages. It was important that in the wake of that trauma we could come together and mourn their loss.
We acknowledge the immense work done by Zionism Victoria and a dedicated group of volunteers who brought a very moving event together in such a short space of time. The JCCV will continue to advocate for the release of the remaining hostages, we need to bring them home now.”
State Liberal member for Caulfield David Southwick told J-Wire, “On Sunday, broken-hearted community came together in peace to mourn the murder of six more hostages and to repeat our simple cry: Bring Them Home.
No matter what obstacles we may face, at home or overseas, our unity will always be our strength. The Jewish community will not stay silent, will not cower, and we will not rest until every single hostage is home”.
Member for Macnamara Josh Burns said, “For the past 11 months, all of us have developed a sense of familiarity with the hostages. For me, every time I read about Hersh Goldberg-Polin, I was reminded that he shared the same name as my grandfather.
On Monday I was in Sydney for work, but I desperately wanted to be with the Jewish community.
When I was in Israel in December, I saw the destruction Hamas caused. In times like these, no matter how much we are mourning, we must stand strong together for the innocent souls who remain hostages in Gaza.“
A highlight of the event was Simon Starr’s rendition of ‘Bring Them Home Now’ in Hebrew and English.
