1600 lanterns on October 7
“Melbourne is like no other Jewish community in the world. They keep me overwhelmed – and that’s what keeps me going,” says Hallely Kimchi.
As more than 120 community members converged on Beth Weizmann Jewish Community Centre on Tuesday to build lanterns for a sea of light on October 7, the first anniversary of the Hamas attacks, Habayit director Hallely Kimchi stated what everyone feels in spades. “It’s been a hard year.”
Confessing the communal response to commemorating October 7 has left her “overwhelmed”, she quickly added, “Melbourne is like no other Jewish community in the world. They keep me overwhelmed – and that’s what keeps me going.”
Kimchi, the Israeli who heads Habayit, Zionism Victoria (ZV’s) Hebrew culture department, told The AJN that in planning the October 7 anniversary, “we couldn’t do another Yom Hazikaron”. Overloaded with grim news for one full year, she wanted something that expressed light, illumination.
Contacting local artist Anita Lester, her friend suggested the community makes papier mache lanterns – 1600 of them, each in the name of a victim – dead, wounded or missing. So Illuminate October was conceived.
Lester made an instructional video and ZV encouraged all Victorian Jews to build a lantern or join in any number of communal lantern-making events that have sprung up, at which they can share their emotions about October 7 and the war. Israelis need Diaspora Jews to make lanterns, reflected Kimchi, but no less, Diaspora Jews need to make these lanterns.
Each lantern carries the name of a victim and the slogan “Forever in our hearts”. On October 7, they will form part of the Walk of Light, a procession at the start of a commemoration service.
Lines from letters written by community members to their adopted victims will be projected onto the walls and some will be read out.
The lantern idea proved contagious. Kimchi contacted Nirit Eylon, with ties to the post-
October 7 Hostages & Missing Families Forum, and by this week, the concept has been adopted in Israel and in many parts of the Jewish world, including North America and Europe. Meanwhile, communities in Australia, including Perth, Brisbane, even Byron Bay, will parade their lanterns.
Kimchi said that each lantern “represents the life, the spirit and the light of each victim – a light that cannot be extinguished, a light that always shines in our hearts”.
ZV executive director Zeddy Lawrence added, “In the darkest of times, Illuminate October unites us as a people, not simply with our fellow Jews here in Australia, but with our brothers and sisters overseas, and our families in Israel, with those we have lost and with those who are grieving.”
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