It’s a sombre anniversary as the world marks two years since the start of the Israel-Hamas war – the impacts of which are being felt in Winnipeg. With it being Sukkot, a Jewish holiday, no official events were held among the local Jewish community on Tuesday. However, hundreds joined a march at the University of Manitoba on Sunday to mark the anniversary and call for the remaining hostages to be returned home. Gustavo Zentner with the Centre for Israel and Jewish Affairs said the anniversary has been a day of reflection. “It’s a day where the community is really struggling to try to reconcile, number one, the atrocities of two years ago, and number two and probably more painfully, that the war still goes on, that we see so many losses of lives,” he said. Zentner said it is hard to believe it’s been two years since the initial Hamas attack on Israel on Oct. 7, 2023. “I don’t think anyone would have predicted that the impact of the attacks in Israel would have such ramification worldwide,” he said, adding the impacts of the war are also being felt closer to home as he says the community has been facing a rampant surge in antisemitism. “I think there is a lot of misinformation out there. Frankly, Jewish Canadians should not be held accountable for the decisions of the Government of Israel,” he said. “It is absolutely out of place. It’s wrong to hold Jewish Canadians accountable for what a foreign government would do.” Belle Jarniewski has experienced it first-hand. “I have had, through email, even death threats,” she said. Jarniewski is the head of the newly formed Manitoba Institute to Combat Antisemitism, an initiative focused on education. “Really, our only hope is through education,” she said. “I think that there are so many people that don’t realize what they’re saying.” The tension of the ongoing war is also being felt among the Palestinian community as well, said Ramsey Zeid. “The people of Palestine deserve to live without fear of being bombarded on a daily basis at any given moment,” said Zeid, the president of the Canadian Palestinian Association of Manitoba. With peace talks between Israel and Hamas ongoing, Zeid said he hopes to see international governments step in and put an end to the war. “I mean, we always have to be hopeful. The day that we lose hope is going to be a very tragic and sad day,” he said. Zentner holds a similar hope. “I am cautiously optimistic with the peace talks, where we believe that with those talks we will see return to some level of normalcy and a better and improved life for everyone in the region,” he said.
