Supporters of Israel and members of the Jewish community and allies gather and react during a vigil in Toronto marking one year since the Oct. 7, 2023, attacks in Israel, on Oct. 7.Christopher Katsarov/The Globe and Mail
Thousands of mourners gathered outside a heavily secured Jewish community complex in north Toronto on Monday for a vigil marking one year since the deadly Oct. 7 attack on Israel.
Against the backdrop of police cruisers and roaring helicopters, Jewish Canadians, including families of hostages in Gaza, wept, sang and huddled under Israeli flags and beneath the dim glow of candlelight as they remembered those killed and missing.
“Tonight, we all share the same broken heart,” Jeff Rosenthal, chair of UJA Federation of Greater Toronto, the host of Monday’s event, said in his opening remarks at dusk. “As Jews, we are too painfully familiar with loss and destruction.”
About 1,200 people were killed and 250 were taken hostage when Hamas militants stormed through Israeli communities on the border with Gaza in the early hours of Oct. 7, 2023. Roughly 100 of those abducted remain missing.
Israel subsequently invaded the Hamas-controlled Gaza Strip, leading to the death of more than 41,000 Palestinians, according to the Health Ministry in Gaza. The events also triggered a region-wide conflict between Israel and Lebanon’s Hezbollah as well as Iran and other allies.
The vigil in Toronto follows dozens of memorials across the country this week, with police in Canada’s largest cities stepping up protections, particularly around Jewish and Muslim places of worship and at events held to mark the anniversary.
Mourners at the Toronto event went through multiple security checks before making their way to a stage where Hebrew prayers, victim testimonies and speeches from local politicians were punctuated by the whir of police helicopters and drones.
Cousins Lisa Urback and Sharon Chodirker were among the mourners draped in Israeli flags and holding signs for those killed or abducted on Oct. 7.
“Today has been really difficult. It still feels like October 7th, 2023,” Ms. Urback said.
Gazing up at the whirling helicopters in the sky, she said everything has changed since that day.
“We’re being protected when we shouldn’t have to be protected. This is our country. I am 56 years old and I’ve never ever had to experience, to have to have this protection,” Ms. Urback said. “I didn’t realize how much I took safety for granted before October 7th, 2023 – I wouldn’t think twice about going anywhere or having people know I was Jewish and now you don’t have that security any more.”
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Others felt comforted to see the police presence. “It’s a shame we have to have so much security but it actually helps me feel safe,” said Elana Markus, pointing up at a building where police snipers were visible. “I don’t feel safe in a lot of places and I feel safe here.”
At a vigil on Parliament Hill on Sunday, speakers drew attention to the rising level of antisemitism in Canada and federal politicians were booed and met with shouts of “Do something.” At the same event, Calgary Heritage MP Shuvaloy Majumdar was met with applause when expressing his Conservative Party’s support for the right of the State of Israel to defend itself against Hamas and Hezbollah.
In Parliament on Monday, a hush fell as Liberal and Conservative MPs rose individually to pay tribute to the victims of Hamas’s attack on Israel on Oct. 7 last year. Just over an hour later that hush would descend again with a moment of silence and then all-party consent for a condemnation of the attacks.
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau marked the grim anniversary in a written statement, saying his thoughts are with all Israelis and Jewish people, and with the Jewish community in Canada.
Mr. Trudeau condemned Hamas, which Canada recognizes as a terrorist group, and said his government remains committed to working toward a two-state solution, “where Israelis and Palestinians can live securely within internationally recognized borders.”
“Hamas has set the region down a path of war and violence. We mourn the Canadians and all civilians killed in the year that followed. We condemn Hamas, Hezbollah, and Iran, whose senseless attacks lead to more death and instability,” he wrote.
“The scale of civilian casualties since Oct. 7 is heartbreaking and unacceptable, and all actors must comply with international law.”
Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre said hostages must be let go and condemned what he called “grotesque” antisemitism in Canada. “We unapologetically stand with Israel,” he wrote in his own statement.
Some of the Oct. 7 victims’ families launched legal action on Monday over the attack. The families filed a claim in Ontario Superior Court seeking $250-million in damages under Canada’s Justice for Victims of Terrorism Act, plus an additional $100-million.
With reports from Stephanie Levitz and The Canadian Press
Editor’s note: A previous version of this article incorrectly attributed Elana Markus's statement that security helps her to feel safe. This version has been updated with attribution to Ms. Markus.