On the first anniversary of October 7th, hundreds of people from various faiths gathered on the National Mall in Washington, D.C., to honor the victims of Hamas’s massacre.
The Remembering the October 7 Massacre rally was organized by the Philos Project, a Christian pro-Israel group. Speaking to The Daily Wire, Philos Project director Luke Moon said it was crucial for “people who believe the Bible to be true” to fight terrorists and others who are allied “against Western civilization.”
“This is going to be a long war,” Moon said.
On the first anniversary of October 7, hundreds of people from various faiths gathered on the National Mall to honor the victims of Hamas’s massacre.
They told our @KassyAkiva they had one goal in common: Being a light against darkness. pic.twitter.com/JyjAku67FN
— Daily Wire (@realDailyWire) October 9, 2024
Among the Remembering the October 7 Massacre speakers were activists, musical artists, non-profit leaders, and Donald Trump’s running mate, Sen. JD Vance (R-OH).
Vance, who headlined the event, spoke about the need to free the 101 hostages in Gaza.
“It is disgraceful that we have an American president and vice president who haven’t done a thing,” Vance said.
“We will bring home American hostages, wherever they are held,” he said. “We want to give Israel the ability to finish what Hamas started.”
He added that a Trump-Vance administration would ensure that American Jews are protected, and ensure that anti-American and anti-Jewish radicals no longer receive federal funding.
“Some of us are Christians, some of us are Jews, and some of us are people of no faith but we are united in the basic common sense principle that we want the good guys to win and the bad guys to lose,” Vance said.
Moon, who has worked to promote positive Christian engagement in the Middle East for years, says his work changed drastically after October 7.
“We’re not in the October 6th world. We are in October 8th world, and in October 8th world, the line between darkness and light has become much more clear,” he said. “We have to stand shoulder to shoulder.”
Richard Goldberg, a senior advisor at the Foundation for Defense of Democracies who served on the White House National Security Council staff during the Trump Administration, said he is optimistic about where the hearts of average Americans are.
“We think about all the protests that we see on TV and people out there waving Hamas flags, Hezbollah flags, Houthi flags, and it’s easy to think that the American moral compass is broken. But the truth is…that is a very vocal minority,” Goldberg said, adding that it was nevertheless “a minority that we have to worry about, because it is being given an oxygen by a large mainstream leadership portion of our society.”
Chief Joseph Riverwind of the Arawak Taino Tribe of Puerto Rico said he and his wife came to the event to add their “support as indigenous people to the indigenous people of Judea — the people of Israel.”
“The Jews are the indigenous people of Judea named after you, and so you are an amazing example of land back and how [the] creator is restoring the indigenous people to their lands,” his wife Dr. Laralyn RiverWind told The Daily Wire.
The event featured musical performances from Jewish rapper Kosha Dillz and Israeli country singer Omer Netzer.
Netzer, who lives in Nashville, said he flew to Israel on October 7 to fight. Since he returned, he’s become optimistic after performing at unity events.
“I see a lot of unity between Christians and Jews together fighting against hate,” he said. “I saw evil in my own eyes, so those people gave me hope.”
