Hope amid heartbreak at Oct. 7 memorial in Israel

TEL AVIV—Tears of sadness mixed with hopeful chanting and applause Tuesday night as thousands packed a Tel Aviv park to remember the second anniversary of the Oct. 7, 2023, attacks on Israel. The Bereaved Families Oct. 7 2025 Memorial Ceremony took place shortly after sundown, as the first day of Sukkot—a Jewish holy day—came to an end.

What was the purpose of the event? The families of those directly affected by the attacks designed the event for the benefit of the whole nation of Israel said Yonatan Shamriz, the founder and organizer of the ceremony. He wanted the world to know that the people and the state of Israel will stay strong until the remaining hostages are returned home. The ceremony was broadcast live on 100 international media channels and seen by more than 500 Jewish communities, Shamriz said.

WORLD News Group / Image by Travis K. Kircher

What took place during the ceremony? The event featured performances by Israeli singers Daniel Weiss and Yuval Rafael; remarks by Rabbi Elhanan Danino, whose son was killed in Hamas custody; and words from Omer Shem Tov, a hostage who returned home after more than 500 days in Hamas captivity. Other speakers and performers included singer Eden Golan, who performed an emotional English version of the song, “I’m Coming Home,” alluding to the long-hoped-for return of the hostages

About 48 Israeli living and deceased hostages are still held by Hamas. The Israeli government believes that more than half of the 48 have died in captivity.

What did attendees have to say? Shahar Sarfaty said it was important to attend because she didn’t want to forget that fateful day two years ago. She said at the beginning of Israel’s war with Hamas, people would gather regularly on Shabbat to pray about war effort, but since then, those practices have fallen by the wayside. “It's a very important day for me,” she said. “October 7 was a very heartbreaking day and since then we're hoping for all of the hostages to come back and to finally have peace in the world."

WORLD News Group / Image by Travis K. Kircher