Outside Frisco Town Hall Sunday, a somber group of 40 people stood among rows of empty chairs, holding candles and reciting Jewish prayers.
Taped to each chair were photos of people killed or kidnapped during the Hamas-led attack on Israel on Oct. 7, 2023 and in the ensuing conflict.
Stephanie Elad, 54, said at Sunday’s vigil she was horrified by the violence of that day.
“I’ve had a hard time sleeping sometimes,” Elad said. “Just processing that such horrific, barbaric acts can occur in our world today.”
At one point a man stood across the street with Palestinian flag, sparking an emotional response from those in attendance before being escorted away from the scene by police.
Monday marks the anniversary of that deadly attack, and a year later, Jewish and Arab Americans in North Texas continue to deal with the grief and anger from a war 7,000 miles away.
About 1,200 people were killed by Hamas on Oct. 7. Others were kidnapped. Since then, more than 42,000 Palestinians have been killed by Israeli attacks, according to the Palestinian Ministry of Health, and at least six hostages have been killed by Hamas.
The fighting has spread — and escalated — in recent weeks, with Iran-backed Hezbollah firing rockets into Israel. In Lebanon, where Israel says it’s targeting Hamas and Hezbollah, the military struck a refugee camp in the north over the weekend.
Closer to home, North Texans of all stripes are left in a helpless struggle to process more than 100 Israeli hostages held in Gaza and a worsening humanitarian crisis facing Palestinians.
The day before Sunday’s vigil, hundreds of anti-war protestors gathered in downtown Dallas, marching and chanting with Palestinian flags and signs demanding a ceasefire.
“Even a few months after October, I think a lot of us had hoped that [the war] would not necessarily be over, but that we would have more progress than this,” said Caitlyn Hernandez, a 22-year-old University of Texas at Dallas student.
Anti-war protests have cropped up across the country and in North Texas. College students at the University of North Texas, University of Texas at Arlington and UT Dallas challenged university leaders amid pro-Palestinian walkouts and encampments on campus.
Nine UTD students arrested for criminal trespass during a campus encampment protest faced potential deferred suspension and withheld diplomas. The students were let off with a warning Friday after a University panel found "there was no sufficient evidence to meet UTD's proposed sanction," according to the group Students for Justice in Palestine.
Dallas resident Hyiat El-Jundi said Saturday she has family in Lebanon and knows Palestinian refugees impacted by the war.
“The dehumanization of certain groups of people is completely unacceptable,” El-Jundi said. “I will always stand by Palestine till the day that I die.”
For others, the anniversary marked a time to reflect on a traumatic experience.
“It’s heartbreaking to see what happened in Israel with people, with victims of massacre and hostages who are still there,” said Anna Faybysh, who attended Sunday’s memorial.
Rabbi Mendy Kesselman said he remembers when he first heard about the attacks last year.
“People in my synagogue were coming to me piece by piece, so it was just a shock,” Kesselman said.
But, Kesselman said, it’s also helped bring Jewish people together.
“It’s unfortunate, but during these times, Jews feel stronger connected to each other, stronger to their faith,” he said. “It's time that we need to stand together.”
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