‘This is about human beings’: Vigil held in Toronto for Hamas attack victims

A vigil was held Sunday in Toronto by members of the Jewish community to honour the memory of those who were killed in the Oct. 7 attacks and to demand the immediate return of those kidnapped. Canadians for Israel organized the event at Earl Bales Park alongside the Holocaust Memorial and many took the time to share personal stories with a connection to Israel.

“This is my daughter’s roommate she was at the music festival,” said one woman while holding a poster of Mia Schem. “Twenty-one years old, was dancing and singing for peace and she’s now being held hostage by Hamas.”

Others, like Felicia Gopin, shared their pain of wanting to help bring their loved ones back home. She says her friend was taken by Hamas while her cousin was killed in the October 7th attack.

“My friend Alongat, his wife Yarden Roman and their three-year-old daughter Geffen, along with Alon’s sister Carmel …they were kidnapped, they were being driven to Gaza,” said Gopin. “I’m here today to bring awareness to the world and to Canada to bring these innocent people home.”

The Gaza Health Ministry said the death toll among Palestinians passed 8,000, mostly women and minors – a toll that is without precedent in decades of Israeli-Palestinian violence. Over 1,400 people have died on the Israeli side, mainly civilians killed during the initial attack, also an unprecedented figure.

“There’s family members who came here today and they needed the support to be able to get us through. They need to know that people will come together and do everything they can to try and bring them home safely,” said event organizer Toby Trompeter.

Sunday’s vigil saw a large police presence to ensure the safety of those in attendance. According to Toronto police there has been a 132 per cent increase in reported hate-related calls. Since the war began on October 7th, police have reviewed 15 anti-Semitic incidents – more than double at the same time a year ago – and five anti-Palestinian, anti-Muslim incidents, compared to zero last year.

“We’re not taking any chances. We’ve gotten wise to just how bad and to what extent the hatred exists, even here in Toronto, Canada in 2023,” said Trompeter.

For those who gathered at Earl Bales Park on Sunday, their hope was to heal alongside the community while sending a message to government officials to get involved to bring the hostages safely home.

“This is not about politics, this is about human beings,” said Gopin.

Meanwhile, a crowd estimated to be in the thousands gathered and marched through Toronto’s downtown core in another massive show of support for Palestinians.

The demonstration, organized by the Palestinian Youth Movement, began in front of the U.S. Consulate General before making its way along University Avenue and then detouring towards Yonge-Dundas Square, with many chanting “cease-fire now” in regards to the Israel-Hamas war.

This is the third consecutive weekend of large demonstrations across the city related to the ongoing conflict.