Vigil of Lament Marking a Year of War and Destruction

Vigil of Lament: Marking One Year of War and Destruction

On October 11, a group of Friends from VRM gathered for a solemn vigil to honor one year since the latest Israeli onslaught on Gaza. The vigil focused on remembering the children lost, as well as journalists and humanitarian aid workers who died needlessly. Despite it being the eve of Yom Kippur, a Jewish speaker joined us—an expression of the deep commitment to justice in Palestine shared by non-Zionist Jews.

The evening was marked by reflection, with music by the Tareb ensemble, poetry readings, and the names of thousands of slain children spoken aloud. Each of us held an LED candle and a name of a young victim; I was given the name of a two-year-old boy, and others around me held names of babies and toddlers. As twilight fell, we stood in silence with our candles, remembering each young life lost. It was a powerful and deeply moving experience.

In September, Gaza’s Ministry of Health released a document listing the names and ages of Palestinians killed in recent assaults. This incomplete list spans 649 pages, with the first 14 filled entirely with the names of babies. Reading it is a heartbreaking reminder of the immense toll of violence.

For Friends seeking to understand more about Palestine, here are a few resources to explore:

Articles and Programs:

• Crikey Article: Melbourne Symphony Orchestra joins the list of arts organisations erasing Palestine by Max Kieser. A critique of Israeli policy from a Jewish perspective on the obligation to pursue peace and justice. Read here.

• ABC Radio National’s Big Ideas Program: A Plea for Peace in the Middle East, featuring Jewish publisher Louise Adler and Nasser Mashni, President of the Australia Palestine Advocacy Network. Listen here.

• The Age: You Cannot War Yourself to Peace by Louise Adler (published September 22).

Books:

• Occupied with Nonviolence: A Palestinian Woman Speaks by Jean Zaru
• The Hundred Years' War on Palestine by Rashid Khalidi
• A Day in the Life of Abed Salama by Nathan Thrall
• The Case for Palestine by Paul Heywood Smith
• Tears for Tarshiha by Olfat Mahmoud
• Tolerance is a Wasteland: Palestine and the Culture of Denial by Saree Makdisi
• We Could Have Been Friends, My Father and I by Raja Shehadeh
• Apeirogon by Colum McCann, an inspiring story of Israelis and Palestinians working together for peace.

May we hold in the Light all those affected by conflict around the world.
Lorel Thomas