By Toni-Elena Gallo

On Oct. 6, the North Shore Jewish Center in Port Jefferson Station held a solemn memorial service, honoring those who lost their lives from Hamas’ attack on Israel which occurred October 7, 2023.

Hamas’ attack claimed the lives of approximately 1,200 people. Approximately 100 of the 240 hostages originally abducted still remain in captivity, including four Americans.

Rabbi Aaron Benson began the service by showing the congregation a donated Torah mantle, which has been dedicated to the memory of Israeli Sergeant Major Omer Smadja, HY”D, 25.

The top of the mantle reads Ecclesiastes 3:4’s “a time to grieve… a time to mourn and a time to dance,” because despite everything that has transpired since last October, “we will dance again.”

The night continued with words from U.S. Rep. Nick Lalota (R-NY1), a self-described Roman Catholic, who said he has been spending more time in synagogues lately, than churches.

“Our Jewish neighbors need us at this time,” he continued, because of “the serious times that we are in.”

Councilmember Jonathan Kornreich (D-Stony Brook), followed LaLota’s speech to the congregation, with a more personal account.

Kornreich, who has family in Israel, shared that “we can acknowledge complexities of the conflict which exists there,” but that it is important to keep in mind the severity of the attacks. He explained that, proportionally speaking, due to the small population of Israel, the number of deaths would be equivalent to around 40 to 45 thousand Americans.

Guest Rabbi Joshua Gray of Stony Brook’s Temple Isaiah echoed the earlier sentiments of Rabbi Benson, saying that the Jewish people do not experience pain, joy or horror individually, but as “one voice together.”

“I think one of the things that keeps us so strong, and keeps us surviving through travails that seem so insurmountable is our ability to come together — to support one another,” Gray shared.

The main focus of the night, following the words of the multiple Jewish leaders and other dignitaries in attendance, was the video testimonial of a young woman named Hadas Ehrlich.

Granddaughter of the synagogue’s former Cantor, Marty Ehrlich, z”l, Hadas works for Magen David Adom, Israel’s national emergency medical, disaster, ambulance and blood bank service.

Ehrlich drove an armored ambulance in the attacked area on Oct. 7, despite having no training as a combat medic.

Video footage of the young woman addressing a congregation of her own showed Ehrlich explicitly describe the scenes she witnessed first hand, such as seeing a woman killed as she sipped coffee on a bench, and a young man who, she explained, was “surely about to experience his last moments.”

The young man had been laid on top of for three hours by a fellow EMS worker, whose bodily pressure had stopped him from bleeding to death. She recounted how she tried to bring a small sense of joy to his pain, by jokingly telling him, “Hey, we made a deal. I told you to stay awake,” which elicited genuine laughter from the man. He had almost lost consciousness three times during their ambulance ride.

“He called me annoying after a while,” she smiled.

After Ehrlich transferred the man to another ambulance, she told the paramedic to ensure that he “respects the end of his deal,” as his blood pressure plummeted.

A week and a half later, she received a phone call from an unknown number.

“My brother is awake, and he remembers you and he remembers your deal,” the voice on the other line said.

The service ended in prayer.

Correction: In the print editions of TBR, it was mistakenly printed that the Oct. 7 attack occurred on Rosh Hashanah.