More than 500 members of the Elstree and Borehamwood community gathered for a moving candlelit hostage vigil and Havdallah on Saturday.

The event at Borehamwood Shopping Park was to express support for Israel in the wake of an Iranian attack, the year anniversary marking the Hamas massacre of 1200 Israelis on 7 October and the 101 hostages still held in brutal captivity in Gaza.

Sir Oliver Dowden MP, representing Hertsmere, attended the vigil and said: “Let us never forget the 1200 people murdered in the horrific attack of October 7 including one from our own constituency of Hertsmere (Jake Marlowe), and 101 people being cruelly being held hostage.”

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He added: “Their captors call themselves Hamas, we should always call them exactly what they are: terrorists. For the hostages and their families these have been long dark days and it is our duty, together, as friends of Israel, as supporters of freedom, to sustain the flame of hope, keeping those hostages names and stories, pressing constantly for their swift release and praying for their safe return.”

The evening was marked by a service led by Rabbi Yaakov Finn and attendees lit 101 candles, each representing a hostage still held captive by Hamas. This was followed by huge images of hostages being projected onto the shopping park walls in a harrowing reminder of the babies, women, men, elderly and Holocaust survivors kidnapped on Black Shabbat.

Lara Lipsey, co-founder of the Borehamwood hostage vigils, said: “For almost a year, we have gathered as a community, come rain or shine, to call for the release of the innocent hostages held in captivity in Gaza.

“They are separated from their families, suffering in dark tunnels, deprived of the basic human rights we all take for granted—fresh air, food, and dignity. As we enter a new Jewish year, a time of renewal and hope, our deepest wish is that our brothers and sisters in Israel will soon be reunited with their loved ones and be able to experience these simple, yet precious, freedoms once again.”

The vigil concluded with prayers for peace and both the Israeli and British national anthems.