Israelis, Diaspora Jews plan memorials to mark month since October 7 massacre

Israelis and Diaspora Jews planned a number of memorials and remembrance initiatives for Sunday and Monday to mark 30 days since over 1,400 people were murdered by Hamas in the October 7 massacre.

The Light Will Overcome: Marking 30 days since the horrific massacre of October 7, President @Isaac_Herzog invites people in Israel & around the world to light a candle in the memory of the murdered and the fallen. Sunday, 5 Nov at 6pm (Israel)#The_Light_Will_Overcome pic.twitter.com/Ol2e7oGRTV

— Office of the President of Israel (@IsraelPresident) November 3, 2023

President Isaac Herzog called on people in Israel and around the world to light memorial candles on Sunday evening at 6 p.m. to mark 30 days since the massacre. (Days in Jewish tradition start at sundown, now a few minutes before 5 p.m. in Israel.) Herzog shared the initiative with the hashtag #The_Light_Will_Overcome.

Blue and White initiative

The American Zionist Movement called on people around the world to wear blue and white on Monday in order to mark the anniversary of the massacre and to share videos, pictures, and messages of support with the hashtags #wearblueandwhite and #bluewhiteunity.

The movement additionally set up a website for the initiative at bluewhiteunity.com where people taking part can send them photos and videos directly.

New York memorial vigil

The UJA-Federation of New York and the Jewish Community Relations Council of New York (JCRC) will hold a memorial vigil at 4 p.m. Eastern time in New York. The vigil will include speeches from elected officials and community leaders and performances by Gad Elbaz and Idan Raichel.

Civil day of mourning initiative

A group of some of the bereaved families has also called on Israelis to mark a civil day of mourning on Monday. As part of the initiative, they called for people to wear black shirts, lower flags to half mast, and to stand for a moment of silence at 11 a.m. A series of events will also be held to mark the day.

*אירועי יום האבל האזרחי* ביום שלישי הקרוב, 7.11.23, נציין ברחבי הארץ את יום האבל האזרחי לזכר הנופלים והנרצחים באסון השבעה באוקטובר.אלו האירועים המתוכננים נכון לעכשיו: ⚫ ביום שלישי נלבש כולנו שחור ⚫11:00 נעמוד דקת דומייה לזכר הנופלים והנרצחים, יקירינו ויקרותינו… pic.twitter.com/zQYFjtsjrx

— תומר אביטל (@TomerAvital1) November 3, 2023

At 5 p.m. on Monday, several youth movements intend to hold memorial events, according to initiative. At 6:30 p.m., memorial ceremonies with the attendance of bereaved families will be held in a number of locations around the country as well. At 7:30 p.m., the group of families have called for people to go outside and sing Israel's national anthem - "HaTikva" (The Hope).

The two main leaders of the initiative have been listed as Eran Litman, who lost his daughter Uriah Litman, and Maoz Inon, a peace activist who lost his parents, Bilhah and Yaakovi. The initiative does not appear to be linked to a specific movement or party, although some of its main leaders are apparently activists who took part in the anti-judicial reform protests.