Hundreds of Great Neck students gathered Monday evening to commemorate the one-year anniversary of the Oct. 7 attack in Israel.
While the event was focused on remembering the lives lost that day, it also stoked hope for the community’s unification.
“One year later we are not defeated, we are not broken,” North High Jewish Student Union President Abe Nabavian said. “We are here standing as one.”
Nabavian said that despite the violence, the community should not be consumed by hatred.
“Instead, it should fuel our commitment to peace and understanding,” said Nabavian, who called for continued dialogue.
Hundreds gathered at the commemoration organized by the North High School Jewish Student Union, including students, community members, and local elected officials.
Some speakers shared personal stories, including losing loved ones close to them on Oct. 7.
Student Yair Elias shared the story of his cousin who was killed at the Nova Music Festival.
Elias described her as someone like many other students in Great Neck with dreams and aspirations.
“It’s easy for us to hear a story like this and feel angry or hopeless,” Elias said. “It makes us think, ‘How do we deal with so much darkness in the world?’ And to be honest I ask myself that question too.”
But in the wake of this loss and holidays spent without his cousin, Elias said he is also reminded of his cousin’s fullness of life and caring nature.
“I realized, the way to honor her is by spreading light where there is darkness,” Elias said.
Daniel Pahima, a former Israel soldier who served in Gaza, shared his story of losing his commander the day of the attack.
While he reflected on the profound impact and friendship he shared with his commander, he couldn’t help but remember the unforgettable smile his commander always had.
“Every space that [he] entered would be filled with light,” Pahima said. “His smile radiated far and wide. As always, he wanted everyone to be happy around him and he also succeeded.”
Pahima’s commander was at the Nova festival during the attack. Although he made it to safety, Pahima said his commander returned to the festival to save others. This came in exchange for his own life.
While the commemoration was to honor the lives lost, Nabavian said it was also to honor the survivors.
“But today is not only about reflecting on the tragedy,” student Layla Pourmoradii said. “It’s also about what came after and who we became as a community.”
Pourmoradi said the past school was different than any other due to the Oct. 7 attack and aftermath. She said it was noted by learning, from both textbooks and the community, as well as a strengthened passion to speak out.
“Yet even in our grief, we stand strong,” Pourmoradi said. “Even in our sorrows, we come together. That’s who we are as the Jewish community – bound by faith, resilience and an unshakeable commitment to one another.”
Great Neck Superintendent Kenneth Bossert said the event sparked hope for the community.
“Our job as educators and our generation is to try to leave the world a better place than how we found it,” Bossert said. “And as these students spoke today from their hearts, I think we all have that hope that the next generation knows better and will do better.”
