ST. LOUIS — The St. Louis Jewish community is mourning the loss of six Israeli hostages killed in Rafah over the weekend as the push for a ceasefire continues.
The community came together for a vigil at the United Hebrew Congregation ceremony to remember Hersh Goldberg-Polin, Eden Yerushalmi, Ori Danino, Alexander Lobanov, Carmel Gat, and Almog Sarusi.
All six Israeli hostages were abducted just under a year ago - the day the war began.
They're all between the ages of 23 and 40, and five of them were abducted from the Nova Music Festival.
“At this stage, we assess that the hostages were murdered by Hamas terrorists shortly before our soldiers were able to reach them inside the tunnel in Rafah,” IDF International Spokesperson Ltc. Nadav Shoshani said in a video statement Sunday.
United Hebrew Congregation Rabbi Brigitte Rosenberg said they held the vigil to grieve together.
“Not only are we feeling the tear in our hearts but we are feeling lonely. We are feeling lonely as American Jews,” Rabbi Rosenberg said.
They prayed and sang together, lighting a candle for each hostage lost and the 101 still in captivity.
“Whether it's your personal friends and family who are being lost, or whether you know people who are suffering during this war, it's an immense weight on really, the whole world,” Executive Director of the Jewish Community Relations Council of St. Louis Rabbi Scott Shafrin said.
Palestinians are also in mourning: the Council on American Islamic Relations said thousands of Palestinian people have been killed, one just hours after the deaths of the six hostages.
“A 58-year-old Palestinian man, who was picked up by the Israeli government, returned to his family in a body bag two hours later with signs of torture on his body. That is unacceptable, just like killing Israeli hostages is unacceptable too, and we've got to condemn all of this,” CAIR National Deputy Director Edward Ahmed Mitchell said.
They're continuing their call for a ceasefire, saying the killing has to stop.
“It will continue unless President Biden puts his foot down and says, ‘No more bombs, no more bullets. We're making a deal. We're getting these hostages out. We're going to save the people of Gaza, and we're going to move forward towards peace,’” Mitchell said.
Until there is peace, Rabbi Shafrin said they have to keep praying and holding each other close.
"I think that moments like these, we need our neighbors more than ever,” Shafrin said.
President Biden said in a statement Monday, "We will keep working around the clock for a deal to secure the release of the remaining hostages."