By Stephen Kitar
The Orange County community came together for a prayer vigil and evening of solidarity with Israel during a rally hosted by Orange County Chabad on Monday, October 9th in Monroe. As attendees entered the venue, they lit candles arranged in the shape of “900,” symbolizing the growing number of innocent victims of recent terror attack.
Rabbi Pesach and Chana Burston, congregation and community leaders, led the gathering with prayers and words of encouragement. They also issued a passionate call to action to support Israel. Rabbi Pesach expressed his concern stating ‘There have not been this many roundups and murders of Jews since the Holocaust”, further emphasizing that ” It doesn’t matter where you stand politically or even religiously, we are one family and we cannot remain silent’
Chana Burston echoed this sentiment, emphasizing ‘We are all one family and this is an attack on all of us. It hurts all of us: everyone’s body, everyone’s soul, everyone’s heart. We are all crying together, we all are so connected.’
Chana highlighted the Jewish response to terror as eradicating darkness with light and eliminating hate by adding love.
The event featured various prayers, including those for the wounded, hostages’ safe return, memorial prayers for the victims, and prayers for the safety of the Israel Defense Force and Israel as a whole. Many community members attended the event, and participants took turns reciting these meaningful prayers: Michael Cohn of Warwick led the psalms for the wounded, and Chabad Gabai Ira Kanis of Monroe led the mourner’s prayer.
County Executive Steven Neuhaus emphasized his unwavering support to help fight terror and bring back Orange County citizens who need to return home. Representatives from NYS Senator James Skoufis shared comforting messages of support, and a message from Monroe Mayor Neil Dwyer was read by Steve Reich. In attendance were
Monroe Supervisor Tony Cardone and Council Members Sal Scancarello and Doury Haul.
The event also saw a strong presence from law enforcement, including the Monroe Police Department, State Troopers, and the Orange County Sheriff’s Office.
Rabbi Burston stressed that there are multiple essential ways to support Israel: spiritually, militarily, politically, and financially.
Chabad is offering links for resources to support Israel. You can contact them via email at rabbi@chabadorange.com, call 845-782-2770, or visit www.ChabadOrange.com.”
