Shooting in Australia | “I am proud, I am resilient, I am Jewish”
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This ceremony takes place every year at Westmount city hall to celebrate Hanukkah. But for Ellie Israel and her daughter, Stephanie Friedman, it was their first time attending. “I am proud, I am resilient, I am Jewish. It’s my place to be here,” said Ellie Israel. “We must show our strength, our courage. It takes courage to come here this evening,” added her daughter, showing us, around her neck, a pendant with the Star of David.
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The crowd thronged the town hall; some attended it standing, even in the entrance hall.
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The ceremony seemed to bring some comfort to the heart of Félix Perazzo-Pinkstone. The 18-year-old was born in Quebec, but his mother is Australian, so he has very close ties to Australia. He woke up Sunday morning to find himself in a nightmare. “I saw the notification from Duty and those of my friends, who were asking each other: “Hello, are you okay? Are you dead?” “, he told us. “But it’s beautiful to see so many people who, even on the other side of the world, still came, in solidarity with us,” he added.
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Several told us that they were not of Jewish faith, but had come in solidarity with the bereaved community. This is particularly the case of Nancy Ruth Jackson, who sings in a choir with several Jewish people, sometimes in the synagogue, sometimes in church. “We sing together, we celebrate together, we mourn our deaths together,” she tells us.
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“The humanity that unites us is indefinitely greater than any distance that separates us,” said Jonathan Chomski (center), commissioner of economic development, infrastructure and information technologies for the City of Westmount, at the opening of the ceremony. Lisa Grushcow (right), the rabbi of Temple Emanu-El-Beth Sholom, recalled that Hanukkah was also a time of joy, light and celebration. “We have more light than all this darkness,” she said, referring to the attack.
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The names of those injured in the attack were said, one by one, while praying for their recovery. The crowd sang in Hebrew in chorus. Many had tears in their eyes. Time seemed to stand still.
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Yehoshua Ellis, rabbi of the Spanish and Portuguese Synagogue of Montreal, recalled that Jews also suffered discrimination in Canada. He fears a similar tragedy could happen here too. “It’s no longer a question of if, but a question of when,” he said.
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“It’s important to show the world that whatever happens, we will continue to show that we are here. We will continue to show our pride, our religion, our community. We are not going to stop being Jewish,” said Paola Samuel, regional director for Quebec and Atlantic Canada for B’nai Brith Canada.
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At the end of the ceremony, Lisa Grushcow lit the second Hanukkah candle to the applause of the crowd in front of City Hall. “I have never seen so many people at this ceremony,” she told us. It touches me a lot, I hope that we will continue to support each other, to be together, in the days to come. »
