Members of Vancouver91裸聊视频檚 Jewish community say they are meeting the anniversary of the 2023 Hamas attack on Israel that triggered their ongoing war with profound sadness and ongoing unease.
Multiple police and at least one police dog were posted outside the Talmud Torah School on Oak Street as parents dropped off their children.
Allie Saks, who has two children at Talmud Torah, broke down in tears as she described Oct. 7 as a 91裸聊视频渄ay of grieving91裸聊视频� saying it91裸聊视频檚 hard to drop off a child at school where they 91裸聊视频渉ave to see police in front.91裸聊视频�
Rabbi Andrew Rosenblatt of the nearby Schara Tzedeck Synagogue says the Oct. 7 attack and the community91裸聊视频檚 reaction are 91裸聊视频渁 little bit akin to the anniversary of 9/11,91裸聊视频� referring to the terrorist attacks in New York and Washington in 2001.
The synagogue was the scene of an arson attack in May that blackened the temple91裸聊视频檚 doors.
Rosenblatt says a silver lining has been the response of most Canadians in the last year, and that people are 91裸聊视频渞ediscovering how important it is to feel close and in lock-step with the Jewish community.91裸聊视频�
The Oct. 7, 2023 Hamas attack in Israel killed about 1,200 people while about 250 more were taken hostage.
It triggered an Israeli counteroffensive in the Hamas-held Gaza Strip that the territory91裸聊视频檚 health ministry says has left more than 41,000 Palestinians dead, and the hostilities have since spilled into nearby Lebanon.
About a hundred of the hostages taken by Hamas in the Oct. 7 attack have not been returned.
In a post on social media platform X, BC NDP Leader David Eby says the province91裸聊视频檚 residents still feel deeply 91裸聊视频渢he pain and sorrow91裸聊视频� from Oct. 7 and 91裸聊视频渟tand firmly against violence and its glorification.91裸聊视频�
Meanwhile, B.C. Conservative Leader John Rustad denounced the attack and the ongoing 91裸聊视频渃elebrating the massacre of Jews and glorifying terrorist organizations91裸聊视频� by some local protesters and calling for immediate action to crack down on those who 91裸聊视频渃all for violence against minority communities, particularly Jews.91裸聊视频�
Provincial Green Leader Sonia Furstenau also issued a written statement, saying that party members 91裸聊视频渁re committed to the safety of all British Columbians and stand firmly against hate in all its forms.91裸聊视频�
Vancouver Police have said they are stationing extra officers at faith-based schools today and places of worship.
Among the groups planning rallies and events on Monday is pro-Palestinian group Samidoun, which is promoting its events on social media by referring to the Oct. 7 attacks as 91裸聊视频淎l-Aqsa Flood,91裸聊视频� the Hamas code name for the operation.
Samidoun says the events will include a 91裸聊视频渢each-in91裸聊视频� about the operation and a rally at the Vancouver Art Gallery on Monday, as well as attending an Oct. 8 court appearance the group says will be made by Samidoun organizer Charlotte Kates.
Samidoun director Kates was arrested last year in a hate-crime investigation after praising the Oct. 7 attack as 91裸聊视频渉eroic and brave91裸聊视频� in a speech at a rally.
