YIR: Jewish Atlanta Gathers to Memorialize Oct. 7 Attacks
Thousands of community members attended the ceremony at City Springs of the one-year anniversary of the attacks by Hamas.
Almost every seat in the 1,100-seat, three-tier Byers Theatre in Sandy Springs was occupied Oct. 7 as the Jewish community remembered the 1,200 men, women, and children massacred in Israel one year earlier and called for the return of those kidnapped and still held hostage in Gaza.
Similar to the turnout for an Oct. 10, 2023, rally in the same venue three days after the Hamas-led terror attacks, a few thousand people again gathered on the lawn outside to watch the proceedings inside on video screens.
Scattered throughout the auditorium, a couple of dozen people who lost family members on Oct. 7 stood and then were joined by all in attendance as Rabbi Peter Berg of The Temple recited the Yizkor memorial prayer.
Ofri Avigdor Betser, a resident of Kibbutz Kfar Aza, where 64 civilians and 22 soldiers were killed, and 19 people taken hostage, told her harrowing story of survival that day.
Six members of Georgia’s congressional delegation spoke at the event, including Republican Rep. Mike Collins, Republican Rep. Andrew Clyde, Democratic Rep. Nikema Williams, and Democratic Sen. Jon Ossoff.
“Tonight, all Georgians pause to mourn and to honor those who suffered such unspeakable horror one year ago,” Ossoff said.
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