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Three years have passed since the
atrocious terrorist attack launched by Hamas against Israel on October 7,
2023. 1,200 brutally slaughtered, 250 hostages held in Gaza, thousands
wounded. The trauma remains
indelibly marked upon Israeli society and world Jewry, as the poison of
fanaticism and antisemitism spread across the globe.
We remember the scenes of unimaginable atrocity that, starting at
6:30’ a.m. on that fateful day, were broadcast live from the victims'
mobile phones. The first harrowing images of rapes, beheadings, horrific
tortures, and arson flooded the internet throughout the day… captured by
the unhuman perpetrators who immortalized their own crimes. Mutilated
bodies, skulls —even of infants— destroyed homes, cars with passengers
burned to ashes… And a deep wound in the souls of Israeli citizens! The largest massacre of Jews since the Holocaust!
On the anniversary of this
darkest page in the history of modern Israel, we mark three years of
resilience —years during which Israelis were called upon to endure loss,
war, and an attack on their very sense of security, yet continued to
stand tall despite the blows and persevere in living normal lives.
In the same spirit of endurance, positive resolve, and hope that
characterizes Israeli society, we, the Greek Jews, alongside Jews all
over the world, choose to envision a world where Israelis and
Palestinians will live side by side —above all in security, with justice,
and with freedom. A world where younger generations will not live under
the burden of hatred, but with the hope that they can build a future
together.
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