Thousands of people turned out to Vancouver’s Jack Poole Plaza Tuesday for a solidarity rally with Israel in the wake of horrific attacks by Hamas.
More than 1,700 people have been killed in Israel and Palestine amid fighting that followed a surprise attack by the militant group over the weekend that saw hundreds of Israeli civilians killed, assaulted or kidnapped.
At least two Canadians were killed in the attacks, including Vancouver man Ben Mizrachi.
“This is family. One of the boys who was killed at a music festival played with my sons and daughters,” Rabbi Andrew Rosenblatt of the Schara Tzedeck Synagogue in Vancouver said of Mizrachi.
“This is my connection. Everybody else here has connections to people in those towns.”
Speakers at the rally included friends and classmates of Mizrachi, who described him as a generous, genuine “true mensch” with a kind heart.
Raw emotions were on full display, with attendees sharing equal parts anger at the horrific attacks and sorrow at their devastating cost.
One speaker, a holocaust survivor, said the attacks were particularly violating because they happened in the one place Jewish people are supposed to feel safe.
There were also calls for peace on both sides of the conflict.
Rally attendee Moshe Zvi, who speaks daily with friends and family in Israel, said he was wracked with sadness and anxiety and was still reeling with shock.
“Am I angry? Of course I am angry. Do I want revenge? Of course, there is a part of me that wants to tear into them — but that’s not the message,” he said.
“We are better. I think it’s very important for the world to hear and see and understand the difference, it’s just not us. I want to believe at some level that it’s just not Palestine, but at the moment I’m not that big of a person.”
Tuesday’s rally was organized by the Jewish Federation of Greater Vancouver, the Centre for Israel and Jewish Affairs and the Rabbinical Association of Vancouver, and involved enhanced security measures.
“While the situation in Israel has understandably heightened anxieties, this is a time to be strong in exercising our democratic freedoms — including our right to gather peacefully,” rally organizers said.
“We are doing so responsibly, with vigilance and precautions, and with guidance from law enforcement.”
Vancouver police were visible in large numbers, and said they were there to keep the peace — as they had at pro-Palestinian rallies over the long weekend.
“Our role as the police is obviously to support people’s democratic right to peacefully assemble and to express themselves,” Sgt. Steve Addison said.
“To make sure people can have an atmosphere that is safe, peaceful and lawful.”
Addison said police had also deployed resources to places of worship and community centres in consultation with faith and community leaders over the weekend, though he added there were no specific threats.
Over the long weekend, hundreds of people rallied in Vancouver in support of the Palestinian people, condemning decades of Israeli occupation. Many noted that Palestinian civilians are not responsible for Hamas’ actions, while some others argued that resistance was justified in the face of occupation.
Canadian political leaders, including Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, have condemned Hamas — listed as a terrorist organization in Canada, the U.S. and Europe — as well as any public demonstration in support of Hamas.
On Monday, Vancouver Mayor Ken Sim also issued a statement condemning Hamas along with “rallies to celebrate these attacks.”
“There is no explanation for murder. There is no justification of terrorism. Hamas is a terrorist organization full stop,” Sim said.
“I unequivocally denounce and condemn any glorifying of the indiscriminate violence from this weekend, including the murder, kidnapping, and rape of innocent Israeli civilians.”
An estimated 1,000 Israelis have been killed, according to a social media post by officials with Israel’s embassy in the United States.
Palestinian officials have said more than 765 people have also been killed in Gaza and the West Bank. Power, food and water have been cut off from the Gaza Strip.
Israel mobilized about 360,000 reservists on Tuesday according to local media, and its military said it struck hundreds of Hamas targets in densely-populated Gaza overnight.
