Sombre vigils mark October 7 attack amid heavy security
Esther Nothman was in Israel when she learned the worst terror attack in the Jewish nation's history was unfolding.
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The Jewish-Australian received a phone call on the morning of October 7, 2023 and was told "something terrible was going on in southern Israel".
"We turned the TV on and it was a nightmare," Ms Nothman told AAP at Sydney's Bondi Bondi on Wednesday, the third anniversary of the deadly attack by Hamas.
"Just like 9/11, you just didn't believe what was happening ... within a few hours, the family put the pressure on to come home."
The massacre left about 1200 dead and resulted in 251 people taken hostage by the Gaza-based militant group Hamas, designated a terror organisation by Australia and its allies.
Wednesday's dawn ceremony at Bondi Pavilion began with a minute's silence at 6.29am - the exact time the attack in Israel began.
Ms Nothman, from nearby Bondi Junction, said the commemorative event was particularly meaningful after December's massacre at the pavilion.
She said that attack during a Hanukkah celebration - which killed 15 victims - left the Jewish community terrified.
"During the commemoration, there was a siren going through the beach, and I just felt, could it possibly be this wonderful commemoration was under attack?" Ms Nothman said.
"Many people who turned up here had trepidation about even coming."
Israel's ambassador to Australia, Hillel Newman, who was among the speakers, described the October 7 attack as a day when "young Israelis went out to dance at the Nova Music Festival and never came home".
For supporters of the Palestinian cause, the anniversary was a day to draw attention to the Israeli assault on Gaza that followed the Hamas attack.
More than 74,000 people have been killed and 175,000 wounded in the bombardment, according to Gaza health officials.
A scattered crowd of about 100 people gathered on the steps of Victoria's state library for an all-day silent sit-in, calling for a permanent ceasefire and just resolution for Palestinians.
Organiser Tasnim Sammak said October 7 marked the beginning of a genocidal military offensive in Gaza.
"We're marking three years of this military campaign and to call for an end," she told AAP.
"It's a peaceful, silent vigil for people to grieve and mourn and to reflect on the violence we face."
About 100 people turned up at Sydney's Town Hall where candles were lit and flowers were arranged in the shape of a heart.
The muted affair comes after NSW Premier Chris Minns saying it would diminish from the organisers' cause, Jews against the Occupation, and lead some to think they have sympathy for Hamas.
In Melbourne, a heavy police presence ensured the vigil remained peaceful with officers separating right-wing and pro-Israel influencer Avi Yemeni from the small crowd.
Police shielded dozens of demonstrators wearing keffiyehs (Palestinian scarves) in the city centre forming a straight line.
Several leaders condemned planned pro-Palestinian events on the anniversary as inflammatory and insensitive to the Jewish community.
When asked about the criticism, Ms Sammak, who has displaced family members in Gaza, said several Jewish people had also joined the vigil.
"They understand the situation for Jews around the world is also connected to a just resolution," she said.
Ben Carasso, a prominent Israeli child advocate, travelled to Sydney from Tel Aviv for the Bondi service.
The 11-year-old said he began speaking on behalf of his nation's children after the 2023 attack.
"It's about … your friends losing their parents and their siblings … and friends being evacuated from their homes," he told AAP.
"This isn't a normal childhood and I wanted the world to understand that."
Jewish children in Australia were also suffering from rising anti-Semitism since the attack on Israel, Ben said, paying tribute to 10-year-old Matilda, who was killed in the Bondi massacre.
"There's a really big connection between October 7 and what happened on Bondi Beach," he said.
Local state MP and NSW Opposition Leader Kellie Sloane said anti-Semitic hate had emerged in Australia since the 2023 terrorist attack.
"Our community has woken up again and again to graffiti, vandalism, firebombings," she said.
The ceremony closed with a performance of the Australian and Israeli national anthems, performed by Ben Goldstein, a singer-songwriter from Bondi.
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