Survivors of Hamas' deadly October 7 attack on Israel and relatives of those killed and kidnapped have shared their heartbreaking experiences to thousands in vigils across Australia.
Their stories of tragedy, bravery and survival came as politicians and faith leaders condemned anti-semitism and called for Australians not to reflect the rising tensions in the Middle East as the conflict between Israel, Hamas and Hezbollah escalates and claims ever more lives.
One year ago, Michal Ohana was dancing with her friends at the Nova music festival when Hamas launched its deadly raid into southern Israel, killing 1200 people and taking about 250 hostage.
"We were so happy until the music stopped," she told a vigil in Vaucluse last night.
"At six and a half in the morning, my life is changed forever."
Ohana told 12,000 members of the Jewish community how she was shot and hid under a tank for hours, calling her mum with what she feared would be her last words.
"I said, 'Mum, I love you but I think I'm gonna die because they shot me and I'm bleeding and nobody coming'," she said.
"In this day, I lost 10 of my friends, and two of my friends were kidnapped to Gaza, and they are still there until today."
Ohana said she released about a month after the deadly attack, which sparked a war in which Israeli forces have killed more than 41,000 Palestinians and displaced most of the territory's 2.3 million people, that she had to tell her story and keep telling it to help the hostages.
She highlighted the story of her friend Ben, who she said got away from Nova safely but ran back to danger three times, saving 12 people before he was killed.
A cast of politicians also took the stage to pledge their solidarity with Australia's Jewish citizens after a week dominated by concerns surrounding planned pro-Palestine rallies after Hezbollah flags and images of the terrorist-listed militant group's longtime leader, Hassan Nasrallah, were seen at rallies the previous weekend.
Federal Opposition Leader Peter Dutton drew a standing ovation after he decried a "vacuum of leadership" and equated the West's response to Hamas' October 7 attack with a failure to stop the rise of Adolf Hitler.
"We've seen a moral fog of moral ambiguity, of moral equivalence and of immorality," he said.
"Just days after October 7, we saw protesters chanting slogans calling for the extermination of Israel, and they haven't stopped since."
Dutton promised to hold a judicial inquiry into anti-semitism on university campuses if the Coalition comes to power and commit $8.5 million to expand the Jewish Museum.
"Memory is important. Even today, there are people seeking to distort, to deny and defend the barbarism that took place on October 7, despite all the evidence, evil endures where the truth is twisted, and so we must prevent perversions of the past," he said.
His calls to confront anti-semitism echoed those made by several prominent Jewish leaders throughout the day.
Federal Health Minister Mark Butler said a reduced level of anti-semitism in Australia compared to other parts of the world was under threat from an "unholy collection" of groups "spewing hate" and "openly chanting slogans" calling for the destruction of Israel.
"History's oldest prejudice, its oldest hatred, anti-semitism, is growing and spreading in Australia in a way we've never seen before, in a way that is simply unique, unique in its scale, and unique in its character," he told the Vaucluse gathering.
"And I acknowledge the deep pain and the deep fear this is causing Jewish Australians.
"It must be confronted. It must be called out, and it must stop."
Both politicians said Israel had a right to defend itself.
Zionist Council Of New South Wales president Orli Zahava, one of the event's key organisers, told the crowd "better days are coming".
"Hope is our guiding light," she said.
"We hope for the safe return of the 101 hostages. We hope for security for all Jews, whether in Israel or here in New South Wales, for us all to be able to celebrate who we are, our identity, and live freely and without fear."
About the same time in Melbourne, a similar but smaller vigil heard from the relatives of Captain Yahel Gazit, Hilly Solomon, Mila Cohen and several others all killed a year ago.
"What words can I offer to baby Miller and for your family, who not only lost you, but also your father, Ohad, who held you in his arms, and your grandmother Yona," a loved one said.
"With the countless others who were brutally murdered on October 7, this was not just an attack on individuals.
"It was an attack on my people, our shared history and the future that we hope to build."
Nova survivor David Bromberg also addressed the crowd, in Hebrew, before leaving with a simple message in English.
"We will dance again," he said.
"Thank you very much."
Prime Minister Anthony Albanese, Premier Jacinta Allan and state Opposition Leader John Pesutto also attended the vigil in Moorabbin, in Melbourne's south-east, but didn't speak.
Earlier in the day, Albanese condemned the "cold shadows of antisemitism" that he said were hurting Jewish Australians.
At least 1400 Lebanese, including civilians, medics and Hezbollah fighters, have been killed and 1.2 million driven from their homes since a wave of Israeli strikes in recent weeks killed most of its top command — including Nasrallah — and pounded large areas of Lebanon.
The group, which is terrorist-listed by Australia and many of its allies and backed by Iran, has continued to fire rockets, missiles and drones at Israel, as it began doing after Hamas' initial attack.
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