At the Vigil of Peace for the Jewish Community in Sudbury, held in the foyer of Tom Davies Square on Oct 18, Emily Caruso-Parnell said that many members of the Jewish community didn’t know about the Hamas-led attacks on Israel until a few days after they began. Board president at the Shaar Hashomayim Synagogue on John Street, she said her community was engrossed in three holidays, Shabbat (Sabbath), Shemini Atzeret (Oct. 7) and Simchat Torah (Oct. 8) and it was only after when they heard the news.
“When we went online, what greeted us was an endless stream of horrors, places and people we love overrun by terror, murder, rape, buildings set on fire – often with families hiding inside of them," she said.
The conflict between Israel and Palestinian militant groups led by Hamas began on Oct. 7 with a surprise, but co-ordinated offensive on Israel. The attack began in the morning with a barrage of rockets launched from the Hamas-controlled Gaza Strip against Israel before approximately 2,500 Palestinian militants breached the Gaza–Israel barrier, killing at least 1,400 Israelis, including 260 people at a music festival in Re'im. Unarmed civilian hostages and captured Israeli soldiers were taken to the Gaza Strip, including women and children.
Israel began conducting retaliatory strikes before formally declaring war on Hamas a day later, and according to the Gaza health ministry, 2,750 Palestinians have been killed, and 9,700 wounded in Israeli strikes on Gaza since Oct 7.
The United Nations and many countries have called for an immediate ceasefire. Human rights groups across the globe called for the intake of Gazan refugees caused by the war.
In Sudbury, more than 60 people came together to hear the words of Caruso-Parnell and Greater Sudbury Mayor Paul Lefebvre, who initiated the event. He said he reached out to Caruso-Parnell after hearing of the events in Israel and asked, “What can we do to support our community members?”
He said that it was important for him to talk about the conflict and “to show what is happening in the world and how it is affecting members of our community.”
Caruso-Parnell said that though the Jewish community of Sudbury is small, it is mighty, and they have weathered more than their share of storms.
“It's always been a community that punches above and works hard to engage with the broader community, puts in a lot of volunteer hours, and has a lot of passion and compassion for all the citizens of this city.“
But it was important for non-Jewish people to fight against antisemitism as well, she said. Referencing Nathan Englander's short story, What We Talk About When We Talk About Anne Frank, Caruso-Parnell said that many Jewish people maintain a mental list of their non-Jewish friends and acquaintances, wondering “who would hide us who would take us in if we needed to flee.”
She said that in the past 10 days, her community has been forced to think anew about that list.
“It is not something we should ever have to think about in Canada in 2023, but it is our reality," she said.
Caruso-Parnell also spoke of the Palestinian people.
“As much as Israelis are victims of Hamas, Palestinian families who are just trying to to live their lives and raise their children are, tragically, also victims of Hamas terror and have been for too many long years,” said Caruso-Parnell. “We need to be very clear on that point. We cannot allow the terror to lead us away from each other.”
She noted that she feels antisemitism (hostility or prejudice against the Jewish people), is often an early warning of greater unrest.
“Rising antisemitism is always the canary in the coal mine,” she said. “It is an early warning signal for rising intolerance and hatred for many groups. We have so much in common; where terror seeks to divide us we must instead unite and work together to make a safer world for everyone.”
At the close of the event, Caruso-Parnell recited The Mourner's Kaddish, a prayer for the mourning or bereaved.
Jenny Lamothe is a reporter for Sudbury.com
