By Amichay Findling
On October 16, the night after Simchat Torah, the greater Ann Arbor Jewish community gathered at the JCC to commemorate the horrific October 7 massacre. While two years in the past, that day in 2023 is still painfully present for many, and the commemoration aimed to offer a space for meaningful communal remembrance.
Then, just days before the event was to take place, a ceasefire agreement between Israel and Hamas finally brought home all 20 surviving hostages.
Attendees at the October 16 program arrived with mixed emotions: joy and deep relief at the return of those held captive for 737 days, intertwined with unending grief for the lives stolen and the communities shattered during the initial attacks and over the course of the last two years. These emotions found a voice through speakers and artists, both visiting and local, throughout the ceremony.
The event’s keynote speaker, Maya Izoucheev, is a Nova Festival survivor. Maya shared her story with attendees, describing the celebration and community that the Nova Festival embodied, her own anticipation and excitement leading up to that night, and then the unimaginable terror that followed. She spoke of friends lost, of impossible decisions made in seconds, and of the ongoing journey of healing she continues to navigate.
One uplifting moment Maya described was connected to her childhood friend, Guy Gilboa-Dalal, who was kidnapped from Nova and held hostage for two years. Maya has been traveling the world telling her story for the last two years, and at each speaking engagement, she wears a shirt printed with Guy’s photo, urging the world to bring him home. Just three days before the gathering in Ann Arbor, Guy was released. Maya stood before the crowd at the JCC in a new shirt, finally able to celebrate freedom.
In addition to Maya’s presentation, the ceremony featured remarks from local Jewish leaders. Rabbi Will Keller, Head of School at Hebrew Day School, opened by acknowledging the layers of emotion surrounding October 7 and the challenges of teaching children about it. Rabbi Josh Whinston of Temple Beth Emeth and Rav Nadav Caine of Beth Israel Congregation reflected on Maya’s experience and connected it to the shared ache felt by Klal Yisrael (the entire Jewish people) in Israel and across the Jewish world. Rav Nadav concluded with a translation of the familiar words of the Kaddish prayer:
He who makes peace in His high holy places,
may He bring peace upon us, upon all Israel —
and let us say: Amen.
The crowd at the October 16 commemoration at the JCC.
Music was woven throughout the evening by Rabbi Gabrielle Pescador of the Ann Arbor Reconstructionist Congregation. Rabbi Pescador enhanced a program already rooted in hope and sorrow with songs for healing and for peace, performed by a group of eight volunteer musicians. Their voices carried both heartbreak and resilience.
To close the ceremony, Shternie Zwiebel of Chabad led a prayer for unity and reconciliation within Am Yisrael (the peoples of Israel). All those present concluded together in song with Israel’s national anthem “Hatikva” and melodies of peace — lifting a shared hope into the room.
Beyond music, visual art played a meaningful role in the commemoration. Local artists contributed works displayed in the JCC’s Amster Gallery, curated by Marie Pattipati, the JCC’s Director of Arts & Culture. Among the contributors was Orit Aviran, a gifted artist and musician who moved from Israel to Ann Arbor just over a year ago.
In the days following the large communal gathering, which filled nearly every seat in the JCC gym, Maya spent time in smaller settings. She joined NextGen A2 for Shabbat dinner, she visited Chabad for a talk after Shabbat morning services, and she sat down with the local Israeli community for a Hebrew “Chug Bayit” (open house). These intimate conversations fostered support, understanding, and even new friendships.
With the ceasefire still holding — though far from without challenges — many Jews continue to pray that the return of the hostages marks the beginning of a long-awaited chapter of calm and rebuilding.
May all soon gather to celebrate joy rather than grief.
May the words recited together at the communal commemoration become a reality:
Oseh Shalom Bimromav,
Hu Ya’aseh Shalom Aleinu,
Ve’al Kol Yisrael,
Ve’al Kol Yoshvei Tevel.