As Sukkot Begins, Jews Face the Second Anniversary of October 7 Amid Ceasefire Talks and Calls for “Resistance”

By Corey Ribotsky
October 5, 2025

A Festival of Joy Shadowed by Memory and Unrest

As the Jewish people around the world prepare to enter their sukkah—fragile, temporary dwellings symbolizing faith, humility, and resilience—many are confronting an emotional paradox.
This year, the first full day of Sukkot, a biblically mandated festival of rejoicing, coincides with the second anniversary of the Hamas attacks of October 7, 2023—a day of terror that changed the trajectory of Israel and Jewish life worldwide.

While families hang fruit and lights in their backyard booths and prepare festive meals, calls for large-scale “resistance” demonstrations have surfaced in major cities.
One widely circulated flyer, titled “Flood New York City for Gaza”, urges activists to gather outside NewsCorp headquarters on October 7 to “honor our martyrs” and “resist for Palestine.”
For many Jewish New Yorkers, that call evokes deep unease: the last two years have seen a surge in antisemitic rhetoric and protests that sometimes crossed into open intimidation.

At the same time, thousands of miles away, Hamas and Israel are reportedly negotiating an agreement to end the war in Gaza, adding a new, unpredictable layer to the week’s tension.
Diplomatic channels through Egypt, Qatar, and the United States are said to be shaping a framework for a hostage release and ceasefire, though key issues—Hamas’s disarmament, Israeli withdrawals, and Gaza’s future governance—remain unresolved.

Faith and Fragility

Sukkot, which follows the solemn Days of Awe, is meant to be the most joyous of Jewish holidays.
The Torah commands: “You shall rejoice in your festival and be wholly joyful.”
It is a time for celebration, gratitude, and hospitality—the antithesis of fear.

Yet this year, many Jews will enter their sukkah with anxiety.
For some, the sukkah itself—a fragile shelter exposed to wind and rain—mirrors their sense of vulnerability in a world where Jewish visibility has again become dangerous.
Synagogues and community centers in New York, Los Angeles, Paris, and London have all received security briefings warning of possible unrest around the anniversary.
Local police departments have increased patrols around synagogues and Jewish schools.

“Joy is an act of defiance,” said Rabbi Leah Rosen of Brooklyn’s Congregation Beth Or.
“We’re commanded to celebrate not because the world is safe, but because faith demands hope even in insecurity.
This Sukkot, we celebrate life while remembering those who were taken from us.”

The Meaning of Two Years

Two years have passed since Hamas’s coordinated assault left roughly 1,200 Israelis dead and over 250 hostages dragged into Gaza.
For Israelis, October 7 became the darkest day in modern national memory; for the Jewish diaspora, it shattered assumptions of safety.

In Israel, the government recently set 24 Tishrei as the formal Iron Swords Memorial Day, separating the remembrance from the biblical festivals that occur earlier in the month.
Yet around the world, Jewish communities still associate October 7—by Gregorian date—with grief and mourning.
This year, that date falls squarely within the week of Sukkot, forcing a spiritual balancing act: how to rejoice while remembering.

Many synagogues have quietly adjusted their schedules.
Rather than holding public mourning rituals—prohibited during the festival—rabbis plan to incorporate moments of reflection into Hallel or Musaf prayers, and to host special memorials after the holiday ends.

Protests and Precautions

Against that solemn backdrop, the “Flood NYC for Gaza” rally scheduled for Tuesday, October 7 at 4:30 p.m. outside NewsCorp headquarters has heightened anxiety in Jewish circles.
Organizers associated with the group Within Our Lifetime have used similar slogans in the past, including “honor our martyrs” and “by any means necessary.”
City officials have approved the gathering as a lawful protest, but law enforcement sources confirm that the NYPD Counterterrorism Bureau will deploy additional personnel in Midtown to prevent clashes.

Jewish advocacy groups are urging restraint and vigilance.
“We respect free expression,” said Evan Leibowitz of the Jewish Community Relations Council of New York, “but there’s a line between protest and provocation.
When slogans glorify violence or erase Jewish suffering, they inflame, not heal.”

The Department of Homeland Security has not issued a specific threat bulletin tied to the anniversary, though analysts warn that symbolic dates often attract lone actors inspired by extremist propaganda.

Ceasefire Hopes in Cairo

As tensions mount on the streets, diplomats are working behind the scenes.
According to reports from The Washington Post and The Guardian, Hamas has tentatively accepted portions of a U.S.-backed proposal for a phased ceasefire and hostage exchange.
Under the plan, Israel would halt major operations in Gaza, release Palestinian prisoners, and withdraw from certain areas, while Hamas would free all remaining Israeli hostages and allow international monitors into the enclave.
Egyptian, Qatari, and U.S. officials are mediating the final terms.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has hinted that a hostage release could be announced “in the coming days.”
Pope Francis, in remarks Sunday, said he hopes the plan “achieves the desired results soon.”
Still, the road to implementation remains fraught: hardliners on both sides reject concessions, and violence has flared in northern Gaza even as negotiators meet in Cairo.

For many Jews, the coincidence of Sukkot and possible peace feels almost biblical—a glimmer of redemption overshadowed by caution.
“Peace on Sukkot would be profoundly symbolic,” said Rabbi Rosen.
“But history teaches us that truces can crumble.
Our task is to pray for peace without surrendering our vigilance.”

Faith, Security, and Solidarity

In Jewish neighborhoods across the United States, communal organizations are coordinating security with local authorities, while also encouraging celebration.
Families are being urged to fill their sukkah with guests, song, and prayer—to refuse fear even as they remain alert.

At the 92nd Street Y in Manhattan, a special event titled “From Mourning to Meaning” will combine festive music with readings from survivors and family members of October 7 victims.
Organizers say the goal is “to transform pain into purpose—through unity, gratitude, and resolve.”

A Fragile Peace, a Fragile Shelter

The sukkah is intentionally temporary: its roof made of branches, its walls easily shaken by the wind.
For Jews worldwide, it is a metaphor for existence itself—exposed yet enduring.
This year, that metaphor feels literal.

As worshippers recite the blessing “Blessed are You… who has kept us alive and sustained us to reach this season,” many will do so with tears in their eyes.
They will remember the murdered, pray for the hostages, and cling to the ancient promise that joy—like the sukkah—can stand even amid the storm.

If the negotiations in Cairo succeed, the sukkot built this week may witness a rare alignment of faith and reprieve: a moment when the winds of war still long enough for the people of Israel, and all those who yearn for peace, to breathe.