by Katie Vasquez
There were 200 people in Cobble Hill who were united on Monday evening, Nov. 6, to pray for peace.
The group from the Kane Street Synagogue has forgotten what life was like before the war began.
“I don’t think we have a map of how to walk through this together,” said Rabbi Michelle Dardashti of Kane Street Synagogue. “You know, and it’s totally surreal for us here, what’s going on there.”
Since the Oct. 7 attack, death has captured the Holy Land. More than 1,400 Israelis have been killed and 240 taken hostage. In Gaza, officials there say more than 10,000 have been killed.
Dozens of New York City rabbis just returned from a solidarity mission to the region. Rabbi Dardashti is one of them.
“We need to be really vigilant against both Islamophobia and antisemitism, we need to refuse to be enemies, this is not a religious war, and both Islamophobia and antisemitism are real things that are heightened in a moment like this,” Rabbi Dardashti said.
Rabbi Dardashti and those at the Brooklyn synagogue may not know what the future holds.
“For me, it’s important to try to share these feelings, and get together, because it’s too tough for somebody, it’s a burden you cannot bear on your own, you need to share that,” said Cobble Hill resident, Michael Boumendil.
They will continue to lean on prayer and each other.