Local Community Gathers In Stamford To Stand In Solidarity With Israel

STAMFORD, CT — The greater Stamford community came together at Temple Beth El on Roxbury Road in Stamford on Tuesday night with one simple message: We stand with Israel.

The United Jewish Federation of Stamford, New Canaan, and Darien along with UJA-JCC Greenwich held a community solidarity gathering in the wake of the ongoing attacks by the terrorist group Hamas against Israel.

The war has claimed at least 2,100 lives on both sides as of Wednesday afternoon, according to the Associated Press. The New York Times reported that Palestinian militants have kidnapped an estimated 150 Israelis, many of them civilians.

President Joe Biden on Tuesday condemned the violence and confirmed that a number of American citizens had been killed, and some 20 were unaccounted for in the region.

At Temple Beth El, Tuesday's gathering featured speakers from elected officials and Jewish faith leaders. Prayer and song were mixed in, and many attendees had signs and flags in support of Israel.

"Knowing your prayers are with us strengthens our resolve and allows us to continue, even though we are broken," said Ambassador Meron Reuben, Consul General of Israel to New England, to the large crowd at Temple Beth El.

United States Sen. Richard Blumenthal (D-CT) also spoke briefly and said he was moved to see Connecticut mobilize and stand in solidarity with Israel. He vowed to fight for additional funding that Israel needs to replenish its Iron Dome defense system, and other aid for the country in the days and weeks to come.

Gov. Ned Lamont said the state is making sure that synagogues and places of worship around Connecticut are protected.

"I urge everyone to, if they see something, say something," Lamont said. "This is America. We don't tolerate this here, we don't tolerate this anywhere, and we will not tolerate what's happening there right now with Hamas. That is not warfare, that is not a territorial dispute, that is genocide."

The impacts of the war between Israel and Hamas are being felt all over the world and in the United States, and locally in Fairfield County.

Residents Rachel Haron and Vered Links received a standing ovation when they were announced to read a prayer. The two are mothers of active soldiers in the Israel Defense Forces.

Read also: Family Mourns Loss Of Israeli Soldier With Greenwich Ties: Reports

Michael Delikat, chairman of the board of UJA-JCC Greenwich, said he's the son of two Holocaust survivors from Auschwitz, and that his aunt had emigrated to Israel after World War II.

"She has left behind over 25 direct descendants in Israel, and more by marriage. We are praying for the safety of all of them," he said. "This is a battle not just for the state of Israel, but for humanity over evil, and for the memories of the six million lost (in the Holocaust)."

Stamford Mayor Caroline Simmons said the images out of Israel and Gaza have been "heartwrenching."

"As mayor of Stamford, I want to affirm that I stand with the people of Israel during this dark moment. As a city we condemn such atrocious acts of violence and Stanford stands in solidarity with the Israeli and Jewish people and unequivocally rejects violence, hate and bigotry in all forms," Simmons said.

The city of Stamford will raise the Israeli flag during a ceremony on Oct. 16 at 9:30 a.m., outside the Stamford Government Center, Simmons said.

While Greenwich First Selectman Fred Camillo could not make the gathering, a statement from him was read on Tuesday night.

"The unprovoked attack on innocent civilians in Israel is another reminder that the world must remain vigilant and defiant in the face of and in response to terrorism," Camillo's statement said. "There is no justification for cowardly acts of violence. I, along with all Greenwich residents, condemn the attacks and stand with Israel. Solidarity has never been more important before or needed than it is in today's world."

You can view the entire livestream of Tuesday's gathering at Temple Beth El here.