- Video shows prayer vigil, photos of captives, and community members praying
- Community members in Bakersfield gathered to pray for the hostages left behind in Gaza after more than 100 were released in a four day long ceasefire.
As the Israel-Hamas war continues, more than 130 hostages remain in Gaza, meaning another night of prayer on Monday for Temple Beth El in honor of those hostages.
With heads bowed and eyes closed, community members lifted up prayers for the hostages still in captivity in Gaza, pleading that this time history won’t repeat itself.
“I actually have family that survived the Holocaust," Arlene Aninion, an attendee at the vigil said. "I have family that did not survive the Holocaust. It’s important for history not to repeat itself."
In a four day cease fire, 110 hostages were released but still 137 hostages remain in captivity in Gaza.
“My heart aches for the people that are held captive," Aninion said. "My heart truly hurts for those who we lost, who are kidnapped, who were murdered, who had the babies torn out of them, who were burned alive. I can’t even fathom that we are talking about this right now.”
That’s why Bakersfield residents like Aninion waved the Israeli flag and held up images of the unreleased hostages, praying for each to return home safely.
“It’s so important that we keep the names going,” Marianne Gartenlaub, a member of Temple Beth El said.
“I want to be that voice for that person that is behind in captivity right now," she explained. "I want to be that light for that person because that’s what we’re here for is to care for each other.”
Gartenlaub and other community members spent time taking in private moments in honor of the families still broken by the war.
“I hope there will be a time when we can stop fighting, and we can actually acknowledge the suffering that is happening on both sides,” Rabbi Jonathan Klein with Temple Beth El said.
An ongoing suffering Rabbi Klein said the Jewish community experiences as the war continues.
“The misery of this event of horrible dimensions will continue to haunt the country for a long time,” he said.
These long-lasting impacts persist as the four day truce collapsed and war erupted again on Friday, and with that Aninion said the Jewish community needs support now as ever.
“We need to have the community come together," she said. "Twenty or fifty people is not going to make it happen. We need to come together as a whole.”
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