Plans unveiled for UK’s 7 October commemoration
Organisers emphasise that three days of marking anniversary will not be political
Jenni Frazer is a freelance journalist
Plans are being announced for an all-embracing UK communal commemoration of the atrocities of October 7 2023, which will run from Shabbat 5 October to Monday 7 October.
As Henry Grunwald KC, who chairs the organising committee running the three days of commemoration, told Jewish News: “7 October 2023 was a traumatic event, not only for those in Israel but for our own Jewish community and Jews all over the world. That date will be with us for ever”.
In planning how to mark this first anniversary, Mr Grunwald said, “we felt it was appropriate to bring the British Jewish community together “. He emphasised that the three days were not envisioned as a protest. There would be no political dimension — in fact no politicians, of any stripe, have been invited to participate.
“What we wanted to do was to have a memorial event, to share our grief and pain with those directly affected in Israel and all over the world”.
There are four main organisers involved: the Board of Deputies, the Jewish Leadership Council, UJIA and the 7/10 Human Chain Project, the latter of which was begun by Israeli nationals living in the UK.
On Shabbat, October 5, it’s planned that synagogues across the religious spectrum will commemorate in their congregations, with probably special prayers recited in every denomination. “We will provide material and people can use that, adapt it, or do something independently.”
The following day — Sunday, October 6 — there will be a memorial meeting, due to take place at an as yet undisclosed central London outdoor venue. To date, Mr Grunwald said, the commemorations are partnered and supported by organisations across the community, ranging from Jewish media, the Israeli Embassy, the National Jewish Assembly, Yachad, the Hostages and Missing Families Forum, to the Union of Jewish Students, Magen David Adom and Maccabi GB. Many more organisations are expected to join as people return from summer breaks.
“Because we don’t know what the situation will be like regarding the hostages on that weekend”, Mr Grunwald said, “we know we have to be adaptable. But we wanted to give people the opportunity to mourn those who were murdered on that day, and to continue to show our support for and solidarity with, the hostages who were taken.” Organisations with an interest in the matter have been invited to set up stalls at the fringes of the venue — “a bit like what happens in Hostages Square in Tel Aviv, to show what they have been doing”.
The London event is set to be the biggest commemoration but other ceremonies are due to take place in other communities across the country.
On Monday, the anniversary of the English date of the Hamas terrorist attacks, numerous events will be held community-wide, particularly in schools, using educational material devised by the memorial organising committee. Such material could be used on Simchat Torah itself, the Hebrew date of the murders, which this year falls on October 24 and 25.
Mr Grunwald stressed: “We — the organisers — are of one mind. This is not a political event, it is a memorial, and we will not allow politics to intrude on it. This is something we are doing for the Jewish community. We believe that the British Jewish community has also suffered our own psychological trauma, and our aim is to bring people together to respond to what happened. “
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