Cairns Esplanade candle ceremony held for Israel-Palestine war

By this time next week a 24-year-old from Cairns will be fighting on the frontlines, as the horrific Hamas massacre is declared an “act of war”.

The Cairns Isreali community has come to get in a show of unity to hold a vigil for their fellow Isrealis following the suprise attack on the country by Hamas militants from the Gaza Strip. Hagar Reshef and Rehi Ligler comfort each other as they think about their loved ones in Isreal. Picture: Brendan Radke

“This is the biggest thing that has happened in the world since 9/11. I have to go over there to fight.”

They are the words of Eden Maor who has just booked his flight in Israel.

By this time next week the 24-year-old will be fighting on the frontlines.

“I’ll work in explosives and infiltrating,” he said.

The dual Australian-Israeli citizen said he was not scared and will rely on “instinct and training” to get him through.

Members of the Far North Jewish community gathered to commemorate the lives lost in Hamas’s attack on Israel at a Cairns Esplanade candlelight vigil held on Tuesday evening,

At the vigil, Mr Maor said it was reports of the atrocities at Supernova Music Festival that were particularly distressing.

“It’s exactly the kind of festival we like to go to. So when I saw what happened, there was just this feeling of hopelessness,” he said.

The Cairns Isreali community has come to get in a show of unity to hold a vigil for their fellow Israelis following the surprise attack on the country by Hamas militants from the Gaza Strip. Rabbi Ari Rubin places a tefillin on Omer Elklai. A tefillin is a set of leather boxes and straps containing scriptures, used by people of Jewish faith to summon wisdom and strength. Picture: Brendan Radke

He was one of a group of Jewish and/or Israeli people who met on the Esplanade to light candles, hold Jewish prayers, and discuss the events overseas that look set to rock many of them out of their idyllic lives in the Far North.

“Coming here helps,” Mr Maor, who is raised in Israel but whose mother is from Australia, said, “Anything that gets us away from the news.”

Fellow Israeli and Cairns resident Rehi Ligler explained, “We wanted to do something ceremonial with all the chaos in the world right now.”

Maya Barak agreed that the Esplanade gathering helped them deal with the anxiety of not knowing what will happen in the conflict and what will happen to their loved ones.

“Not long after the news broke, she discovered she had two friends at the Supernova Festival.

“Then you think if I were in Israel, this would be happening to me also.”

One friend is still missing, and another friend was shot at the event but is now in a stable condition.

“We have so many friends and people we know and we don’t know what is happening with them. That’s why it helps to come together like this.”

Originally published as Cairns Esplanade candle ceremony held for Israel-Palestine war