‘A special meaning’: Oct. 7 attacks, victims remembered in Las Vegas — PHOTOS
His guitar was one of the only things he managed to escape with as he fled for his life.
On Oct. 7, 2023, Israeli ethnic-rock pioneer Micha Biton’s home of Netiv HaAsara was attacked by Hamas.
After spending 13 hours in a safe room with his wife and four children, they managed to flee to Tel Aviv, where they lived for a time as refugees.
Twenty members of his community on the Gaza border were among the 1,200 murdered in Southern Israel during the terrorist attack. Another 250 were taken hostage, with the last 20 living hostages returning home alive earlier this week.
On Thursday, Biton appeared at Marking Oct. 7 at Temple Beth Sholom in Las Vegas, commemorating the second anniversary of the terrorist assault on Israel.
“I have learned to tell my story from a place of faith because we survived,” Biton said, addressing a crowd of over 100 seated in the temple, before leading them in song. “There is a lot of light and power despite the pain for all of those who were not so lucky … there is no doubt that if your life was saved, there is a light.”
Since the Jewish holiday of Sukkot fell on Oct. 7th this year, the nation commemorated the anniversary of the attacks nine days later.
With Israeli hostages released days earlier, the event was marked by feelings of joy and solemn remembrance.
‘A special significance’
“I think that from now and in subsequent years, we’re going to be commemorating the atrocities of Oct. 7 and remembering the over 1,200 lives that were taken from us that day and the hostages that were killed in captivity,” said Stefanie Tuzman, president and CEO of Jewish Nevada.
“But this one in particular takes on sort of a special meaning, a special significance, because the hostages — the living hostages — were released earlier this week, and so our community is definitely finding a balance of celebration and elation at their return home, and also this heaviness and sadness that we’re still waiting for 19 fallen hostages to make their way home so that they, too, can have a proper burial,” Tuzman said. “So we’re going to balance that tonight with the commemoration.”
Temple Beth Sholom’s Rabbi Felipe Goodman opened the evening by sounding a measure of perseverance and resolve.
“We come together to send a clear message that beyond the pain and the tears there is a resilient community,” he said. “We understand that even though we rejoice, we know this is not the end. We know it very well.”
Rep. Susie Lee, the Democratic congresswoman for Nevada’s 3rd Congressional District, reflected on feelings of both gratitude and loss in the wake of the second anniversary of the attacks.
“What we do know today is that 737 days later, every living hostage has been returned home,” Lee said. “I can’t begin to imagine the horrors that they and their families endured over the past year. As we celebrate their release, we mourn the loss of so many lives. The road to lasting peace is long — and it’s not over.”
Firsthand account of the attacks
Candles were lit by an Oct. 7 survivor, members of the local Jewish clergy, student advocates, Las Vegas Mayor Shelley Berkley and others amid strains of piano, prefacing a moment of silence.
In the most emotionally charged moment of the evening, Biton delivered a harrowing, firsthand account of the attacks and their horrific aftermath in between stirring renditions of numerous songs, both traditional and contemporary.
He recalled first hearing warning sirens around 6:30 a.m. the Saturday of the assault.
“We rushed to our bomb shelter to take cover and defend ourselves,” he recalled.
He quickly learned that two of his friends had already been killed.
“It felt like it was the end of the world,” he said. “They were my two best friends. And now they were dead.”
The sadness turned to dread as he feared for his loved ones.
“I looked at my family,” he said. “What if this is the last time we will see each other alive? What if all of my family dies?”
After 40 hours, they managed to find safety, though they would endure incalculable heartache burying loved ones in the days that followed.
Two years later, Biton delivered a powerful message of hope before leading the crowd in an impassioned rendition of John Lennon’s “Imagine.”
He had witnessed the worst of atrocities.
But he refused to let it bring out the worst in him.
“We all need peace and love,” he said. “They are what make the world go around.”
Contact Jason Bracelin at jbracelin@reviewjournal.com or 702-383-0476. Follow @jasonbracelin76 on Instagram.
