By Gretchen Webster

WESTPORT — Rows and rows of chairs stood empty Sunday at Compo Beach, each with a photo of an Israeli taken hostage by Hamas during terrorist attacks Oct. 7, 2023.

Poignantly, two very small chairs were placed around a child’s table, a photo of a baby affixed to the seats, testament to the scope of losses that day a year earlier.

The chairs represented 101 hostages — some dead, some alive — still missing 365 days after a total of 250 Israelis were captured by Hamas in the surprise attacks.

The chairs were the focal point of “One Year of Bring Them Home,” a vigil attended by about 200 people in remembrance of the hostages still missing.

“We’re here to stand in solidarity with the hostages,” said Lynn Rabinovici-Park, one of the organizers of Sunday’s program. As Americans, “we do not have empty seats at our table,” she said. “We cannot let ourselves become immune” to the horror of so many Israelis — as well as some Americans and citizens of other nations — being taken hostage, she said.

Of the 101 hostages thought to still be in captivity, no one knows exactly how many are dead or alive, she said.

A similar program was held at Compo Beach last year to mark the hostage-taking a month after the Oct. 7 attacks. It followed a gathering hosted by Temple Israel in the immediate aftermath of the attacks, an event the drew hundreds in support of the hostages.

“I never thought that it would be year later and they still would be missing,” Rabinovici-Park said. Even those who are deceased need to be returned for a proper burial, she said.

The program was organized by three Westport women: Rabinovici-Park, Inda Sade and Sharon Suchotliff.

“We are just three local Westport moms who felt the need to speak up for the voiceless,” Rabinovici-Park said.

In addition to Westporters, people from area communities attended Sunday’s vigil, some involved in Jewish organizations or other faith communities.

“You can’t not be involved when something like this happens,” said Amy Mandelbaum of Weston. “It’s brought the community together,” she said.

Phyllis Selig of Fairfield agreed. “I march every Sunday to bring awareness. It brings us all together,” she said.

Deborah Levison of Trumbull, a child of two Holocaust survivors, called the last year “very painful” for Jews around the world and others concerned about the hostages. “All of us are in shock that it’s a year later and they still have 101 of them. It’s a stain on all of humanity,” she said.

Earlier in the day, a march in remembrance of the Oct. 7 attacks took place through downtown. It ended at the beach with several speakers, prayers and music. 

Speakers included First Selectwoman Jennifer Tooker; Idan Chen, owner of the Idan Chen Salon in Westport and the cousin of a former hostage, Rabinovici-Park and Suchotliff.

Prayers and blessings were offered by Rabbi Jeremy Wiederhorn of The Community Synagogue in Westport, and Rabbi Josh Ratner of the Or Hadash Congregation in Fairfield.

“I’m so proud to be the leader of this community, so proud that this community comes out in full support,” Tooker told the gathering.

Organizations involved in Sunday’s program included Temple Israel, The Community Synagogue, Saugatuck Congregational Church, the Jewish National Fund, End Jew Hatred and Run for Their Lives, according to Rabinovici-Park.

Freelance writer Gretchen Webster, a Fairfield County journalist for many years, was editor of the Fairfield Minuteman and has taught journalism at New York and Southern Connecticut State universities.