BEVERLY HILLS, Calif.—Beverly Hills elected and community leaders gathered early Monday to mark the one-year anniversary of the Oct. 7 Hamas attack on Israel, one of several events to mark the occasion, while dozens of pro-Palestinian protesters staged a walk out and march around the USC campus.
Beverly Hills leaders acknowledged the anniversary at Beverly Gardens Park on Santa Monica Boulevard, where roughly 1,200 flags are on display—one for each person who died in the Oct. 7, 2023, attack on Israel.
“Beverly Hills is much more than what some may perceive as glitz, glamour and luxury,” Beverly Hills Vice Mayor Sharona R. Nazarian said during the pre-dawn ceremony. “Our community stands in solidarity and we will not allow terror or hate to manipulate us.”
The hundreds of flags have been on display in the park since January. During Monday’s memorial service, the city unveiled signs designating the area “October 7th Memorial Square.”
The early morning event was one of several events planned Monday across the area to mark the anniversary of the attacks.
The Jewish Federation Los Angeles will host a program at the Saban Theatre in Beverly Hills Monday evening, billed as a way to “remember victims and honor the resilience of survivors.”
Organized by the Jewish Federation Los Angeles, Israeli-American Council, StandWithUs, and Temple of the Arts, doors open at 6:30 p.m. Monday for “L.A. Remembers.” Among those expected to attend are actress Mayim Bialik, Israeli actress Moran Atias, Israeli performer Raviv Kaner, as well as more than 30 elected officials including Rep. Brad Sherman (D-Sherman Oaks) and Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass.
There will also be a candle-lighting ceremony and speeches from relatives of hostages.
“Coming together to commemorate October 7th offers all of us an opportunity to gather strength as we share a sense of community that supports Israel and fights to keep the faces of the hostages front and center in everyone’s hearts until they all come home to their families,” Roz Rothstein, founder and CEO of StandWithUs, said in a statement.
Meanwhile, IfNotNow Los Angeles will gather at downtown’s Gloria Molina Grand Park, which they say will be attended by “hundreds of American Jews” to mark the one-year anniversary of the Hamas attacks, and the ensuing “brutal collective punishment by the Israeli government” over the past year. The event slated for 6 p.m. is intended to “remind elected officials and fellow Americans that violence is antithetical to Jewish values and that it will never keep any of us safe.”
Shortly before noon Monday, dozens of pro-Palestinian protesters gathered outside the Trousdale Parkway and Jefferson Boulevard gates to the USC campus for a rally and march. USC closed the campus entry gates at the location as the crowd gathered.
The group rallied at the intersection, although traffic continued to move through the area. The group chanted slogans such as “Free, free, free Palestine,” “Shut it down,” and “From the river to the sea, Palestine will be free.”
Los Angeles police and USC Department of Public Safety officers monitored the group, which marched west on Jefferson Boulevard, then south on Vermont to Exposition Boulevard, stopping briefly at each entry to the USC campus.
There were no immediate reports of any arrests.
Organizers of the march, including groups such as USC Students for Justice in Palestine, Divest from Death USC, and Jewish Voice for Peace USC, were planning at least three days of events this week beginning with Monday’s “walk out.” The organizers plan an “Art of Resistance” art workshop and auction event Tuesday and a “Study-In for Palestine” on Wednesday.
A similar protest occurred Monday around midday at Pomona College in Claremont. A small group of protesters that gathered on the campus quickly swelled to dozens of people. The group at first quietly gathered, then they began marching, and ultimately descended on the campus’ Carnegie Hall Library, and blocked access to the building.
Some protesters remained in the library until later afternoon.
College officials, who last year were forced to relocate commencement ceremonies due to on-campus pro-Palestinian encampments and protests, issued a statement condemning the actions of protesters.
“We will not permit the presence of masked, unidentified individuals on our campus refusing to show identification when asked,” according to the college. “Nor will we stand for the takeover of buildings and the disruption of academic continuity—all of which happened today. Anyone involved in this disruption is subject to disciplinary action.”
Organizers of the Pomona College protest advised people who planned to take part in the action to wear a mask to “prevent spread of COVID,” but also advised them to cover their head and hair, wear sunglasses and cover any tattoos and piercings that could be used to identify them.
On Sunday, the Jewish Federation Los Angeles held a reception and candle-lighting ceremony at the Museum of Tolerance Los Angeles.
“It was not the last chapter of my life,” Andrey Kozlov, who was held hostage for eight months and a day, said at the event that coincided with the exact moment of the Oct. 7 attacks.
“Something better is coming, and here I am with lots of opportunities. I became some kind of voice of hostages, and I am able to speak.”
Mayor Karen Bass said, “Today, we must continue our prayers for safety and peace. As conflict rises in the Middle East, we often see a troubling rise in antisemitism around the world, including here in L.A. So let me be unequivocally clear—antisemitism has absolutely no place in L.A.”
