Candlelight Vigil Held For Israel As War Expected To Enter Next Phase

GLEN COVE, NY — There is plenty of uncertainty as Israel's ground incursion into Gaza is expected to be on the horizon to dismantle Hamas.

What is unquestioned, though, is the unity toward Israel.

Dozens filled the Holocaust Memorial and Tolerance Center (HMTC) in Glen Cove for a candlelight vigil on Sunday.

"I'm in constant contact with friends and family, and government leaders in Israel," Nassau County Executive Bruce Blakeman told Patch. "These rallies mean a lot to them. They need the show of support."

Sunday's plan was changed from a 5K run due to pressing concerns facing Israel since the surprise attack more than two weeks ago.

Michael Trager, an officer with HMTC from Queens, said "It's an organization that touches my heart. The events in Israel [are] touching my heart even more."

The Israeli Defense Forces air strikes have hit more than 300 Hamas targets in Gaza, CNN reported.

Nassau County Legislator Mazi Melesa Pilip, like so many Long Islanders, has a personal stake in what happens to Israel. Pilip, who was elected in Nov. 2021 for Great Neck and Manhasset residents, is an Ethiopian Jew who found a home in Israel in the early 1990s. Pilip, who was 12, was rescued from a civil war in her homeland.

"Israel gave me everything that I needed to be successful," Pilip told Patch.

The lawmaker went to college in Tel Aviv and Haifa, and joined the IDF when she turned 18. She was in the paratrooper unit.

Pilip's parents remain in Israel, a sister is an Israeli police officer and she has nephews serving in the IDF.

"I grew up in Israel knowing that's my family, my people. The Jewish nation going through this is very heartbreaking," she said.

A Star of David pendant was clearly visible dangling from a necklace.

"More proud than ever. I'm not going to let fear stop me. I'm going to be a voice about how the terrorist organization killed civilians."

On this soil, Blakeman is concerned about lone-wolf attacks.

'There's a very small percentage of people [who] are supporting Hamas, and I think it's disgusting, basically, they're supporting baby killers and rapists. I think they're hurting their cause," he said.

But county executive and Police Commissioner Patrick Ryder are stepping up patrols.

"We are making sure that every synagogue, every Jewish institution, every Yeshiva has police coverage and we're also making sure that our Muslim mosques are covered as well," Blakeman said. "We don't want any violence in Nassau County."