In a city which many Jewish New Yorkers would say has changed since Oct. 7, one thing that has remained constant is Central Park. Each and every Sunday morning, New Yorkers gather in the park to call for the release of the hostages who are being held in terror tunnels in Gaza.

On the evening of Oct. 7, they again gathered in Central Park, this time to commemorate that dark day one year ago when Hamas terrorists invaded Israel, massacred more than 1,200 people and took more than 250 hostage.

Organized by UJA-Federation of New York, Jewish Community Relations Council and the Hostage and Missing Families Forum, the event, titled “Oct. 7: One Year Later,” was attended by thousands, with an overflow crowd watching via an indoor livestream at the nearby Temple Emanu-El.

Security in the park was visible as anti-Israel protesters had announced their plans to “flood New York City for Palestine” on this day of mourning.

The sound of helicopters hovered overhead while Nova survivor Ron Segev told his harrowing story of survival to the crowd. Without missing a beat, Segev stated, “I wish we could hear those choppers back [on] that day, but we had no help and had to figure it out by ourselves.”

Oct. 7 survivor Natalie Sanandaji also addressed those present, stating that “It is not our way to succumb to victimhood.”

With those words, the tone for the evening was set. Those in attendance mourned the dead, praised heroes and prayed for the hostages, the soldiers and Am Yisrael.

They recognized elected officials, whom Alisa Doctoroff, past president, UJA-Federation of New York, noted have supported the Jewish community as they took to the stage to participate in a candle-lighting ceremony: Gov. Kathy Hochul, Senate Majority Leader Charles Schumer, Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand, House Leader Hakeem Jeffries, New York State Attorney General Letitia James, New York State Comptroller Tom DiNapoli and New York City Mayor Eric Adams.

They heard from the parents of hostage Omer Neutra, who was born in Manhattan and grew up in Long Island.

Omer’s mother, Orna, reflected: “This has been a year full of grief. Layers upon layers of it.”

Noting that Omer will celebrate his 23rd birthday in captivity next week, Orna stated that “no 23-year-old should be celebrating their birthday in terror dungeons.

“Omer is alive, but he is in great danger and since Oct. 7 there is not a moment that passes when we are not thinking about his safety.

“Being unable to reach him, to speak with him, to comfort him when he needs us most is a parent’s worst nightmare,” she continued. “Every meal we eat we ask ourselves, ‘Has he eaten today?’ When we shower, we wonder when he was last allowed to shower or change into fresh clothes. When the sun is shining, we question whether Omer is in a dark, stuffy tunnel struggling to breathe.”

Ronen, Omer’s father, spoke of the urgent need to bring the hostages home: “There are still 101 innocent hostages in Gaza, seven of whom are American citizens … This is not a political issue; this is a dire humanitarian issue and we need all hands on deck. Omer and the other 100 hostages are running out of time.”

Israel’s Consul General of New York Ofir Akunis gave an impassioned speech, accompanied on stage by the Neutras; Naama and Nadav, siblings of hostage Omri Miran; Rabbi Doron Perez, father of fallen soldier Capt. Daniel Perez; and Sigal Manzuri, mother of Norelle and Roya, who were murdered on Oct. 7.

Akunis began, “One year ago, on Oct. 7, we saw the devil on earth” when Hamas invaded Israel.

“Since then, Israel has been fighting for its life. Slowly, but surely, we have been eliminating terror threats on our doorstep, bringing home our people and restoring peace to our borders. Our soldiers have proven themselves to be true modern heroes, they are the new Maccabim and from here, from New York, we salute them.”

Continued Akunis, “In the face of the stain of antisemitism, as we mourn the lives taken from us, as we fight for a better Middle East, actually we fight for a better world without Nasrallah, without Hezbollah, without Hamas, without the Houthis, we must keep the pressure on Hamas and do like Moses. Moses went to the palace of Pharaoh and he said, ‘Let them go now, let them go now!’”

Addressing the thousands in front of him, Akunis stated, “I would like to extend my sincere thanks to New York’s Jewish communities. To you, [who] have rallied together, lent their voices, contributed generously, and advocated proudly for Israel like never before. All of you have shown that supporting Israel after the horrors of Oct. 7 has nothing to do with politics, it’s just called being human.”

Akunis concluded: “We must maintain and build on our own unity of this past year, which has been a ray of light in this ocean of darkness. Jews, allies and good people everywhere are strongest when we stand as one. Together, there is nothing we can’t overcome.”

Some of the most moving moments of the evening presented themselves in the form of prayer and song.

Fifty rabbis recited Kaddish, Cantor Chaim Dovid Berson of Kehilath Jeshurun led the attendees in the prayer for the IDF while Cantor Azi Schwartz of Park Avenue Synagogue led them in the prayer for the State of Israel.

An interfaith clergy coalition represented by Bishop Mitchell Taylor stated that their group was there to “stand in solidarity with our Jewish brothers and sisters.”

Eden Golan, Israel’s 2024 Eurovision representative; David Broza accompanied by The Tzofim; and Regina Spektor, all gave moving musical performances.

Heschel High School, Ramaz Upper School and SAR High School united in an inspiring choir performance.

The attendees heard the angelic voice of Amit Mann, who was killed on Oct. 7. Mann’s dream was to perform on the biggest stages of North America and Gilad Segev and his band fulfilled that dream by projecting Mann’s angelic face and voice on a large screen in a posthumous duet.

The night reflected sadness and grief, unity and hope, and so many other emotions stirred up when a nation is fighting for its survival.

Recognizing the exhaustion that comes hand in hand with this struggle was Ron Segev, who movingly noted that “We need to keep fighting antisemitism because there is no other way. And I know it’s hard, but I want you to keep look[ing] at the good in each and every minute, each and every situation … Don’t allow hate and don’t allow fear to take over. Because we are not like that.”

If a Nova Festival survivor can tell Jewish New Yorkers to keep fighting and look at the good, then that’s what everyone must do.

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.