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Big Apple politicians are pushing for a permanent memorial honoring the victims of Hamas’ Oct. 7, 2023 attack in Brooklyn.
“Those who were stolen from us will never be forgotten,” state Sen. Sam Sutton (D-Brooklyn), who is behind the push, said at a press conference Wednesday, on the third anniversary of the massacre.
The 1,200 victims of the devastating attack in Israel included several people with deep ties to the tri-state area, including Omer Neutra, a 21-year-old Long Island native and IDF tank commander killed by Hamas terrorists.
“History has taught us the devastating cost of silence when hatred goes unchecked,” Sutton told reporters. “We refuse to standby while ancient antisemitism hides behind modern slogans. Let them hear us clearly today. We will not be intimidated.”
Jewish politicians — including City Comptroller Mark Levine, City Council Speaker Julie Menin and Rep. Dan Goldman — attended the press conference, calling for the roughly 6×6-foot memorial to be built at Mickey Kairey Garden in Gravesend.
Organizers said they are raising private funds for the memorial’s design, construction and eventual upkeep.
But the city Parks Department under Mayor Zohran Mamdani — an unabashed longtime critic of Israel — would need to approve the project. Neither the department nor City Hall returned requests for comment.
The garden is named after Meyer “Mickey” Kairey, a decorated World War II combat medic present in the liberation of concentration camps and the founder of the historic Magen David Synagogue in Bensonhurst.
“For so many families in our community, October 7 is personal. A permanent memorial will ensure that the memory of those we lost remains alive for generations to come,” local Democratic District Leader Joey Saban, who is also pushing for the permanent memorial, said in a statement.
