Pro-Palestinians rally in San Francisco nearly a year after Oct. 7 attacks
SAN FRANCISCO – Monday marks one year since the brutal surprise attack by Hamas on Israel that left nearly 1,200 people dead and hundreds kidnapped and held hostage. Since then, Israel's response has taken the lives of more than 40,000 Palestinians. It's a conflict that has split the Bay Area, including the Jewish community.
Sunday was just one day shy of a year since the Hamas attacks on Israel threw the Middle East into war and pulled the world into the open sore that is the Israeli/Palestinian conflict. But Rabbi Mark Bloom with Oakland's Temple Beth Abraham said it feels like only yesterday.
"October 7th this year is a terrible anniversary for the Jewish people and I would say the trauma still seems fresh and raw," he said. "I would say most of the members of our congregation are still in a state of sadness. And even though life goes on, there's still some lingering sadness that doesn't seem to be disappearing any time soon."
But since then, there has been plenty of sadness to go around. As Israel retaliates, its assault on Gaza has drawn worldwide condemnation with tens of thousands of innocent Palestinians killed in the bombings. In San Francisco, Zayna Elkarra, founder of Bay Youth for Palestine, said she's lost more than 50 family members in the siege.
"I have family who starved. I have family who were just stuck under the rubble. Like, it's countless stories and we hear different things every day," she said. "Especially because they've reached out and just begged, please help us. And it's just such a heartbreaking feeling."
Zayna was just one of several thousand Palestinian supporters who converged on San Francisco's Mission District Sunday afternoon.
"We are all here today because even after a year of our people facing the most brutal genocide of our generation, we all refuse to break," a young woman said to the cheering crowd.
"You know, the situation is escalating," said Michael Mendoza from Oakland. "I, myself, came out here because I'm just angry. I'm upset and I just didn't want to stay inside. We have to come out together. We have to build solidarity, try to think of a path forward."
The path forward seems pretty bleak right now, especially after Iran's direct missile attack on Israel this week. Many believe it will widen the war even further. But Lisa Rofel, who is Jewish but supports the Palestinians, said she is hoping a win by Kamala Harris in November could turn the tide.
"I'm hopeful that if she does, that she will put some conditions on military aid to Israel," said Rofel. "If the United States were to cut the military aid unless Israel pulled back, I think Israel would pull back."
"Bay Area Jews are a unique animal, right?" said Rabbi Bloom. "We have a range of opinions all over the place. But I would say the majority of the mainstream Jewish community still supports Israel's war effort in Gaza. The majority still thinks it's really tragic, and innocent civilians are dying and that is horrible. But we still want the hostages released and I don't think anybody thinks that Hamas is going to do that voluntarily."
Nothing seems very voluntary these days. Both sides feel compelled to react to the other's atrocities, dating clear back to the 1940's. So, the significance of a one-year anniversary tends to fade when everyone involved has such long memories.
