Thousands attended a “New York Stands with Israel” vigil and rally on Tuesday, October 10, at Dag-Hammarskjold Plaza in Manhattan. The event was organized by UJA-Federation of New York and the Jewish Community Relations Council of New York, along with several other organizations.
Several public figures spoke, including Israel’s ambassador to the United Nations, Gilad Erdan. Describing the magnitude of the atrocity, Ambassador Erdan stated that Israel has “experienced the Jewish people’s darkest day since the Holocaust,” and “has suffered our 9/11,” which, proportionally, “was 10 times bigger than 9/11.” Ambassador Erdan then strongly proclaimed “This moment of darkness will not only go down in history for its infamy. It will go down in history as the time that we, the Jewish people, showed the world that we will never be massacred again!”
New York State Governor Kathy Hochul was similarly strong in her conviction, stating “that New Yorkers will never tolerate evil, whether it’s committed here in our homeland or in Israel. We’ll never, ever, tolerate evil!”
New York City Mayor Eric Adams’ words were met with the most thunderous applause of the evening. “Israel has a right to defend [itself]! Your fight is our fight! Right here in New York, we have the largest Jewish population outside of Israel. THIS is the place that our voices must raise and cascade throughout the entire country. We will not be alright until every person responsible for this act is held accountable!”
The evening was marked by poignantly remembering hostages who are still being held. Before dispersing, the crowd was led in unifying song and prayer.
Judith Falk is the creator of the Upper West Side Shtetl Facebook Group. You can follow her on instagram @upperwestsideshtetl. She is an employee of The City of New York and is writing this article in her personal capacity, and not as an employee of The City Of New York.
