Hundreds hold somber vigil near Knesset; bereaved relatives criticize Netanyahu
Jessica Steinberg, The Times of Israel's culture and lifestyles editor, covers the Sabra scene from south to north and back to the center
Hundreds gather near the Knesset to mark 30 days since the deaths of 1,400 people on October 7, when Hamas terrorists massacred and committed atrocities in the Gaza border communities and towns of the south.
The gathering is solemn and somber, without anyone appearing onstage. It opens with a recording of a choir singing Unetane Tokef, the haunting liturgical poem sung on Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur, describing the Day of Judgement.
Lasting just 30 minutes, the crowd stands silently throughout the vigil, as two speakers — Yaakov Godo and Maoz Inon — make brief addresses.
Godo’s son, Tom, was killed by terrorists in his home’s safe room in Kissufim as he tried to keep the door closed. His wife and three daughters escaped.
Inon’s parents, Bilha and Yakovi Inon, were killed in their small wooden house in Moshav Netiv HaAsara.
Both men blame Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and his government for what happened on October 7.
“A month has passed and Netanyahu didn’t participate in one funeral, didn’t come to any shiva, didn’t call the families,” says Yinon.
Inon has said repeatedly that he opposes the war in Gaza, due to the lives that will be lost on both sides. He told The New York Times’ Nicholas Kristof in an October 25 op-ed that Israel “needs to break the pattern of escalating violence that feeds hatred, creates orphans and self-replicates indefinitely.”
The two men and other mourners plan on sitting in a mourner’s tent outside the Knesset until the government falls.
“I call on all of Israel to come and be with us, to join us on the journey of building new hope and equality,” says Inon. “I believe we will win.”
