Under a deep fog, which to many symbolized the challenges facing Israel, thousands of San Diegans gathered Monday night to mourn the first anniversary of the Oct. 7 terrorist invasion and express hope for the future.
Nearly 5,000 people filled Mandell Weiss Eastgate Park adjacent to the Jewish Community Center in University City to commemorate the solemn anniversary. A year ago, a similar crowd gathered at the park for a vigil.
Heidi Gantwerk, president of the Jewish Federation of San Diego, thanked the Jewish community for contributing over $20 million to help Sha’ar HaNegev, San Diego’s sister city in Israel, where many were killed during the Hamas invasion.
“We go into a new year knowing that our work as a community is far from over. We will surely face enduring challenges. But we must and we will be strong,” said Gantwerk. “We will continue to be here for Israel and for one another.”
The crowd included numerous political leaders, including Reps. Sara Jacobs, Scott Peters and Juan Vargas; Mayor Todd Gloria; Police Chief Scott Wahl; and City Councilmembers Joe LaCava and Sean Elo-Rivera.
Gloria said he texted his friend, Ofir Libstein, the mayor of Shar HaNegev, early on Oct. 7. “Ofir, this is Todd, are you OK?” he recalled. There was no answer because Libstein was already dead.
Pausing several times as he addressed the crowd, Gloria said, “I’m sorry…this is hard.” But he promised that “San Diego will never falter in our support for our Jewish community.”
Accompanying Gloria were top members of the San Diego Police Department, who the Mayor said were “working hard to make sure hate has no place in San Diego.”
Other political leaders didn’t speak during the event, but earlier in the day Jacobs said, “Like millions of Jews around the world, I woke up one year ago today in complete horror.”
“I am still grappling with the aftermath of that day — the loss of nearly 1,200 innocent people, the trauma of many more who were assaulted, raped, tortured, and kidnapped, the pain felt by San Diego’s sister city Sha’ar HaNegev, and the stark rise of antisemitism since.”
The hour-long commemoration included music, prayer, remembrances by people who experienced the terror, and a ceremonial blowing of the shofar, an instrument made from a ram’s horn, to symbolize a new beginning.
“Judaism is about reliance and how we turn grief into growth,” said Rabbi David Kornberg of Congregation Beth Am.
