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Plants at the Marking This Moment event Thursday, Oct. 16, 2025 at the Jewish Community Center represented someone who died in the Israel-Hamas conflict.
Zak Cassel / WFYIMembers of the Indianapolis Jewish community gathered Thursday evening for a moment of reflection on the past and future, marking the release of hostages in the Israel-Hamas conflict.
The mostly somber event at the Jewish Community Center featured music, prayer, poems and speakers, including two Israeli citizens who described their experiences in Israel on the day of the attacks on Oct. 7, 2023.
Monday, after a ceasefire agreement between Israel and Hamas, Hamas handed over the 20 living hostages. After that, Israel released over 1,700 Palestinian prisoners, according to reporting by NPR. Now they are exchanging the remains of deceased captives.
The war has killed at least 67,869 Palestinians in Gaza, according to Gaza's Health Ministry. The Hamas-led attack in Israel killed 1,144 people, according to the Israeli government.
Survivor Shir Zohar, 22, recounted attending a music festival with her friend when the attack began.
"On our way back to the festival, we could see tons of missiles in the sky, and we decided that we are not staying there, and we’re leaving as fast as we could," she said. Zohar then shared the story of her escape.
Jewish community leaders, including several rabbis, attended the event along with several hundred people.
Several Indiana state political leaders were also present, including: Sen. Aaron Freeman (R-Indianapolis), Rep. Beau Baird (R-Putnam County), Rep. Ed DeLaney (D-Indianapolis), Rep. Peggy Mayfield (R-Martinsville) and Sen. Shelli Yoder (D-Bloomington).
Gaya, the Indianapolis Jewish community Israel emissary, lit candles in silence to open the ceremony. Later, she shared her experience as a member of the Israeli Defense Forces on the day Hamas attacked Israel.
“As I headed north, I witnessed something that gave me so much hope: Hundreds of cars going south — soldiers and reserves, of all ages, in uniform, answering the call,” she said.
But she later decided to leave the IDF after having a conversation with a friend in the military about “all the hardship and brutal conditions in Gaza.”
“About a year and a half into the war, I decided that my journey in the military will end, and that I needed to find my next chapter,” she said. She came to serve the Indianapolis Jewish community.
Andrea Kruszynski, chief marketing officer with the Jewish Federation of Greater Indianapolis, told WFYI in a text message that they were not able to share Gaya’s full name for security reasons.
Eli Isaacs, the board president of the Indianapolis Jewish Community Relations Council, said he was looking forward to community outreach and dialogue with community and civic leaders.
"The rise in antisemitism is unlike we’ve ever seen before, and really the only ways to combat that are to be out in the community, to strike an educational tone,” he said.
The Thursday evening event highlighted the experiences of Israelis and Jewish people, but did not delve much into the plight of people living in Gaza impacted by Israeli military campaigns.
Contact WFYI reporter Zak Cassel at zcassel@wfyi.org.
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