YORK COUNTY, Pa. — Yahrzeit memorial candles and yellow ribbons are what people can expect to see at Monday’s community commemorations.
Terri Travers, the chief executive officer for the York Jewish Community Center, says tonight’s event is to honor the lives lost since the start of the war.
“We’ll have a few different speakers, a chance to have people pray or reflect in their own ways, and some music will be incorporated into it,” Travers said.
More than a hundred guests are expected to attend from many different walks of life.
“Regardless of one’s faith or beliefs to political affiliation, it is just a chance to come together,” Travers said.
That sentiment is shared by Zachary Benjamin with the Jewish Federation of Greater Harrisburg.
His staff expects to welcome nearly 50 guests to its commemoration service.
“This is an opportunity to gather and be together and reflect both on the atrocities that took place on October 7th of last year, as well as the fallout for a wide variety of groups and populations,” Benjamin said.
But not everyone recognizes Oct. 7 the same.
Members of the Harrisburg Palestine Coalition held a demonstration outside the governor’s mansion Sunday, calling for the state to divest from Israel.
In a statement to FOX43, a spokesperson wrote:
“The Harrisburg Palestine Coalition, HPC, reminds everyone that October 7 marks one year of continuously escalating genocide against the Palestinian people, perpetrated by the United States and Israel. The military operation on October 7, 2023, was an inevitable act of decolonial resistance instigated by over a century of Zionist colonization of Palestine. To pretend that history began and ended on October 7 is to engage in genocide denial and white supremacy. The US-backed Zionist genocide has murdered at least 200,000 Palestinians, displaced millions of people from their homes, and escalated into a broader regional war that puts countless more lives at risk. This genocide is made possible by the financial, military, and political support of the United States. Over 70% of the weapons used against the population of Gaza are manufactured and funded by the United States. HPC is proud to play our own small part in the movement for Palestinian liberation. Our action in Harrisburg on October 6 called for an arms embargo, boycott, sanctions, and full divestment from Israel, including $136 million Pennsylvania tax dollars which fund the genocide. HPC is also one of over 200 endorsing orgs of Within Our Lifetime's Flood New York City for Palestine action on October 7. From the river to the sea, Palestine will be free.”
But Benjamin says Monday’s commemorations are not political.
“We’ve been intentional about the fact that there are a wide variety of different audiences, a wide variety of different experiences that have taken place in the aftermath of October 7 and we want to honor and respect as broad a spectrum as possible," he said.
Monday’s commemoration at the York JCC is expected to start at 6 p.m. with the Harrisburg commemoration starting at 7.
Anyone interested in attending is encouraged to register online.
Guests can show up at the door but will need a photo ID to be checked in at no charge.