Locked in a safe room for 13 hours, singer-songwriter Micha Biton and his family barely survived the Oct. 7, 2023, terror attacks on Israel. More than 20 of their friends in Moshav Netiv Ha’asara, the Israeli community closest to the Gaza border, were killed.
Along with his songs, Biton shared the story of that terrible day and the pain, strength, and hope of the year that followed with more than 1,000 Southern Arizona Jewish community members and allies. As dusk fell, the crowd gathered at the Tucson Jewish Community Center to mark the first anniversary of the attacks in which approximately 1,200 people were murdered, thousands more injured, and 253 kidnapped.
In the J’s Sculpture Garden, set off from the chairs for guests, rows of empty white folding chairs with photographs were a stark reminder of the 101 hostages still held in Gaza.
The J, the Weintraub Israel Center, and Jewish Philanthropies of Southern Arizona organized the commemoration, dubbed “With Broken Hearts, and Heads Held High.” More than a dozen local synagogues and Jewish community agencies provided support.
As community members found seats, they spoke together quietly, some sharing their disbelief that a year had passed and the war was not over, the hostages not free.
“My heart hurts — all the suffering,” said Rebecca Crow.
“Israel is the life of the Jews and we cannot let it be destroyed,” added Crow, who has family in Israel, including a cousin’s son, age 22, who rejoined his Israel Defense Forces unit after Oct. 7 and was just called up for a second deployment.
Judy Katz Esbit said her son Simon recently finished his third year at the Medical School for International Health at Ben Gurion University. A terrorist attack at the Beersheba bus station on Oct. 6 that left a border police officer dead and 10 others wounded added to her worries.
“He goes to that bus station twice a day,” she said.
Yet she’s also fiercely proud of his decision to stay in Israel and help in the hospital where he trained until he comes home for Thanksgiving.
Welcoming the crowd, JPSA President and CEO Hava Leipzig Holzhauer made a special point of thanking the Jewish community’s allies for their support over the past year, naming more than 20 politicians, non-Jewish clergy, and other community leaders in attendance.
Holzhauer spoke of the resilience of the Jewish people, saying resilience “reflects the ability to cope and adapt in difficult situations. Resilience is being able to keep going, to keep moving forward when something terrible happens that is worthy of stopping most in their tracks. Resilience is being strong in body and strong in mind. It’s being able to stand tall and face adversity, time and again. It’s finding happiness, celebration, prosperity, and endurance after suffering trauma and adversity for thousands of years.”
Senior Community Shlicha Yuval Malka asked the crowd to join in a moment of silence, after which Nitay Bar, who is Malka’s partner, and Arielle Shemesh, representing the Israeli community in Tucson, lit a memorial torch in honor of two Israelis murdered on Oct. 7, Dror Altun and Ron Shemer.
Local rabbis chanted memorial prayers in Hebrew and English. Rabbis Norman Roman and Helen Cohn recited Yizkor, Rabbi Sam Cohon sang El Male Rachamim with Rabbi Avi Alpert reading the translation, and Rabbi Yehuda Ceitlin recited Kaddish.
Tucsonan Ben Pozez spoke of the bravery of his cousin, Rose Lubin, a lone soldier who left her bomb shelter to help defend her kibbutz on Oct. 7, guarding the main gate for 14 hours. Lubin survived Oct. 7 but was stabbed to death by a terrorist in Jerusalem on Nov. 6, 2023.
University of Arizona student Zoe Saltz and UA Hillel Israel Fellow Michele Pissarenko Shuster read a song, “Who Is the Man,” written about Ben Shimoni, who escaped the massacre at the Nova Music Festival, helping others flee, only to return more than once to rescue more people. After returning to the site a third time, he was ambushed and killed.
“Amid all the evil, pain, and destruction we have witnessed, so much good and kindness has been revealed before our eyes,” said Saltz, noting the many other acts of courage and sacrifice plus the tens of millions of dollars raised to help those fleeing the communities that were attacked.
“In a reality filled with uncertainty, this is our certainty: we have each other,” Saltz said, adding that the community must stand together, “united against hatred, choosing love over fear.”
Rabbi Malcolm Cohen and Cantor Jennifer Benrey followed with Acheinu, a prayer for the release of captives. As photos of hostages appeared on the screen behind them, the Tucson Hebrew Academy choir performed a soulful pop song, “Coming Home,” which drew appreciative murmurs from the crowd. Rabbis Sara Metz and Stephanie Aaron recited the prayer for the State of Israel and Rev. Dr. Jay R. Hartley and Rev. Matthew Funke Crary closed the prayer service with an interfaith prayer for peace.
Introducing Biton, Malka, the community shlicha, spoke of the difficulty of planning a ceremony for a tragedy that is still ongoing.
“By standing here, we choose to remember, and we choose life, love, and strength,” she said, adding that we can actively choose a hope that “is 2,000 years old, held by millions before us.”
“We must continue to believe that tomorrow will be better,” she said, emphasizing that this belief inspired Biton’s music.
“I have learned to tell my story from a place of light and faith,” Biton said. “We made it out of the inferno and met people who are embracing and lifting us up. There is a lot of light and power in that, despite the pain for all those who were not so lucky.”
Biton’s songs, including “Aneni” (Answer Me), “Sheyavo” (Let It Come), and “Hatzad Hamu’ar” (The Lighted Side) affirmed this belief. With his lyrics projected on a screen in Hebrew, English, and transliterated Hebrew, Biton often invited the crowd to sing along.
Between songs, Biton shared more of his story, including his decision on Oct. 7 to briefly open the safe room door because the 11 people inside were running out of air. He stood in his living room armed with a hammer, prepared to sacrifice himself to save his family.
Toward the end of his concert, as Biton led the crowd in Oseh Shalom, the ancient prayer for peace, the audience sang and clapped. For the final song, Hatikvah, Katz Esbit and three of her friends linked arms, swaying together.
“That was beautiful,” Crow said. “The perfect ceremony.”
