The Chabad Jewish Center of Gloucester County hosted a Solidarity with Israel event at the 9/11 Memorial in Mullica Hill on Oct. 18 to express support for the country after it was savagely attacked by the terrorist group Hamas.
Dozens came out – Jewish and non-Jewish – for the Main Street session as fighting continues between Israel and Hamas, a conflict that erupted with the latter’s Oct. 7 surprise attack from the Gaza Strip. Nearly 3,000 Israelis and Palestinians had been killed and more than 200 hostages – including Americans – taken by the time of the Chabad event.
“We’re here in solidarity with Israel to show support for the residents of Israel, for the state of Israel, for the military (of Israel),” said Chabad Rabbi Avi Richler. “We stand up against hate and brutality and (stand up) for light, peace and hope.”
Small necklaces were available to buy at the event for $10: proceeds will support the people of Israel. Attendees also put brief messages on postcards to be sent to soldiers and civilians alike.
“May Israel preserve,” one said. “We stand with you.”
A pamphlet colored in the blue of the Israeli flag was handed out at the Chabad event and prayers were read in both English and Hebrew. The back of the pamphlet featured QR codes for Jewish charities accepting donations. A song was also performed and the crowd sang along.
The Chabad sessioin included speakers such as Richler and his wife Mia, as well as a member of the Israeli Defense Force (IDF or Israel’s military), Shaket Kamel, who offered a prayer in Hebrew and spoke during the event draped in the flag of Israel.
Kamel was in the area for a wedding when the fighting broke out and was told to stay by his commanding officer. He will head to the Gaza Strip next week.
“I have served for seven years in the IDF as a logistics officer, and today, I am serving as a captain in the reserve,” Kamel revealed. “It has been two weeks since the state of Israel was attacked from a terror group named Hamas. In that attack, thousands were injured and more than 1,000 people were killed in cold blood.
“More than 70 years have passed since we, the Jewish people, had survived the Holocaust and said no more,” he added. “No more for the killing of innocents, no more for standing alone. We stand united.”
Strength in unity was a common theme during the Chabad session as speakers rallied behind the idea of standing together against hate.
“What we must do is to stand up proudly and say, ‘We will never hide,'” Richler noted. “Those days are over. When the world says ‘Never again,’ it means never again. So let us stand up proudly.
“Let us stand up strong.”
