Next month, the Jewish Community Center of Greater Baltimore and Gordon Center for Performing Arts will hold a series of gatherings to commemorate the one-year anniversary of the Hamas terrorist attacks in Israel on Oct. 7th.
Located at 3506 Gwynnbrook Avenue and adjacent to the Rosenbloom Owings Mills JCC, the Gordon Center will present a screening of the award-winning documentary “We Will Dance Again” on Tuesday, Oct. 1, at 7 p.m.
The 90-minute documentary reconstructs the events of the Nova music festival near kibbutz Reim, where 364 attendees were murdered. and many more were wounded, raped and tortured by Hamas terrorists.
After presentation of the film, there will be a community conversation to discuss the Oct. 7th tragedy and ways for Israel to move forward.
On Sunday, Oct. 6, from 7-8:30 p.m., local Jewish teens are invited to the vigil “Unite. Remember. Hope” at the Gordon Center. Participants will remember the lives lost on Oct. 7th, honor survivors and heroes of that tragic day, and discuss hope for the future.
The event is presented by 4 Front, NCSY/JSU, BBYO and the Jewish Connection Network.
“We are honored to provide our community’s teens with a way to recognize the one-year anniversary of 10/7 in a way that will be meaningful and relevant to them,” said Diana Solomon, senior director of 4 Front, which provides opportunities for local Jewish teens to engage. “The events of that day and this past year since have had such an immense impact on the entire Jewish community, but particularly on young people who are in transformative years and just beginning to form their identity.
“This program will create a safe space for teens in the Jewish community to honor the victims, hostages and survivors of 10/7, reflect on their own thoughts and feelings around the day in a trusted space, and bring a sense of hope for the future and do it in a way that’s appropriate and engaging for teens,” she said.
On Saturday, Oct. 26, at 8 p.m., the JCC will present the “Project Heroes Commemoration Concert.” The event will be dedicated to those who lost their lives on Oct. 7th while saving others. This multi-media stage experience will blend live music, artwork and video with documentary scenes, complemented by state-of-the-art effects.
“Connecting to Israel through film, music and storytelling is a meaningful and profound way to experience this tragic loss,” said Sara Shalva, chief arts director at the JCC. “Our goal is to provide transformational experiences that move people from the everyday to a new realm, where they can connect to themselves, each other, Israel and the world around them through these artistic modalities. Not everyone is comfortable in synagogues or at rallies, and some people want to learn, experience and grow in a theater through the arts. We are here to provide those opportunities and connections.”
For information, visit jcc.org.
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