Memorial service held in Bern for October 7 attack victims

Speakers at the memorial service on Sunday evening included Israeli ambassador Ifat Reshef. Keystone-SDA

Over 200 people commemorated the victims of the Hamas attack one year ago in Bern's synagogue on Sunday evening. The terror of October 7 has left deep scars in Israeli society, but also in the Jewish community worldwide, mourners heard.

For people in Israel, life has been turned upside down since the terrorist attack, said Ralph Friedländer, President of the Swiss Federation of Jewish Communities (SIG). But life has also changed fundamentally for Jews in Switzerland.

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Anti-Semitism has risen massively. “Even our children have to justify themselves at school and university for a war that they have nothing to do with,” said Friedländer. This is unacceptable.

Jews are facing an unprecedented wave of anti-Semitism. It is obvious that the portrayal of Israel in many local media has contributed to this situation, he added.

+ Swiss call for peace on eve of anniversary of October 7 terrorist attack

The numerous demonstrations of sympathy for the perpetrators and the lack of willingness to condemn the terrorist attacks were also bad, said Friedländer. This makes dialogue extremely difficult.

‘No justification for anti-Semitism’

Anti-Semitism is increasing worldwide when the Middle East goes up in flames, said State Secretary Alexandre Fasel, who represented the Swiss government at the service. What is happening on a geopolitical level is one thing, he said, but anti-Semitic acts are another.

There is no justification for the acts of violence, aggression, threats and insults to which Swiss Jews are also exposed, he added: “The fact that our Jewish fellow citizens have to feel unsafe in 2024 is simply unacceptable.”

Switzerland will continue its efforts for a peaceful future in the Middle East, Fasel said, adding that a political process towards a two-state solution is needed. This offers the only basis for sustainable peace.

‘Struggle for mere existence’

October 7 was a year ago, “but since then we have been reliving this nightmare every day”, said Israeli Ambassador Ifat Reshef. Israeli society is still recovering and healing, and at the same time it has to fight for its future and for its very existence, she added.

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Reshef sharply criticised all those who had chosen to “appease the extremists and ignore Israel’s right to self-defence”. Israel is determined to do everything necessary to restore the lost sense of security, she said.

‘Where is she?’

The relative of a young woman who had been abducted spoke of the agony to which her family was subjected every day: “Where is she? What condition is she in? Is she still alive?” The relative’s cousin’s daughter was last seen alive last November. “But what about now?”, she asked.

The world often cares more about the kidnappers than the hostages, the woman added. For her, there was no other choice than to keep hope alive.

The memorial took place under strict security precautions. It remained calm in the vicinity of the synagogue, as a correspondent from the Keystone-SDA news agency reported.

Translated from German with DeepL/gw

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