Worshippers pack Minnetonka synagogue for somber anniversary of Oct. 7 attack on Israel

The High Holy Days of Judaism are customarily a time for reflection, resilience and resolution.

But those themes weighed heavier this year with the first anniversary of the Oct. 7 Hamas attack on Israel falling between Rosh Hashanah, the Jewish New Year, and Yom Kippur.

"The confluence of events are moving," said Steve Hunegs, the executive director of the Jewish Community Relations Council of Minnesota and the Dakotas,from the sanctuary of Adath Jeshurun Congregation in Minnetonka on Monday.

A commemoration Monday night in the sanctuary brought together about 1,200 people, matching the number killed in the Oct. 7 attack, the deadliest in Israel's history. Another 252 victims were taken hostage, about 100 of whom remain captive, according to the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA).

At the event, people spoke proudly of their Jewish heritage and resilience. They spoke of fighting antisemitism, caring for others and bringing the remaining hostages home. They spoke of the victims of the attack, of whom several dozen audience members at Adath Jeshurun knew personally.

"I pray tonight for empathy," Rabbi Aaron Weininger said. "Each of us rightly seeks different things from this ceremony and will take it in different. We might recognize that the person sitting next to us has different fault lines than our own. That's what it means to be a human being and to belong to a larger community."

Commemorations and demonstrations over the Oct. 7 attack and the wider conflict surrounding it have unfolded across the Twin Cities area and the globe in recent days. On Sunday, hundreds of people marched through downtown Minneapolis in support of Palestinian freedom and in condemnation of Israel and its ally, the U.S., for the violence against Palestinians.

The attack by Hamas, an Islamist militant group, came after more than 56 years of Israeli military occupation of Palestinian territory. In the last year, devastation and loss have expanded through the region.

Since the attack by Hamas, Israel launched a bombing campaign and ground invasion in Gaza that has killed about 42,000 Palestinians, including more than 17,000 children, and destroyed more than half of the region's hospitals, roads and residential and commercial facilities, according to the OCHA.

The conflict has long prompted fears of wider war in the Middle East. In the last week, Israel launched a ground invasion in Lebanon, and Iran fired missiles into Israel.

The events come as reports of antisemitism in the U.S. have spiked, which has made more than half of Jewish Americans at least somewhat concerned for their personal safety, according to an April poll from the Jewish Federations of North America. Almost a third of respondents said they are very concerned or concerned all the time.

Safety is also a concern locally. In Minneapolis, a 21-year-old man was charged with three felonies after he allegedly made terroristic threats and carried a gun outside Temple Israel during Rosh Hashanah. Prosecutors said there is no evidence of antisemitism in that incident, however.

Still, police officials said they would increase patrols around Jewish community centers during the High Holy Days. Police remained visible throughout the spacious grounds of Adath Jeshurun for the commemoration Monday.

"This is the nature of the world in which we live," Hunegs said. "At the same time, we want to remain warm and welcoming."

Attendees at Monday's commemoration said the last year has been filled with sadness, shock and grief. Tal Dror Rouache, who moved from Israel to St. Paul in August 2023, said she personally knew several victims of the Oct. 7 attack.

She said she has not shaken a feeling of being "ripped apart" over the last year and does not think she can feel better until all remaining hostages are returned home.

"It is impossible to move on," she said.

Nevertheless, the community "has not been intimidated," Hunegs said. He and Dror Rouache, who is a manager for the St. Paul Jewish Federation, said they have seen community members participating more in religious and political activities in the past year. And more people are inquiring about volunteer opportunities in Israel.

"This will be what will make us stronger in the future," Dror Rouache said. "This is a big thing. That's the beauty."