HOUSTON — Nearly one year after the Oct. 7 terrorist attack on Israel and the fighting that followed, Houston's Jewish and Muslim communities reflect on the conflict and express hope for peace.
Sundown on Wednesday marked the start of Rosh Hashanah, which marks the Jewish new year.
KHOU 11 spoke with Rabbi Chaim Lazaroff of Chabad of Uptown as he prepared for services.
"When we come into Rosh Hashanah and we're examining the past year, and we're trying to turn a new page," Lazaroff said. "We're looking back at a year of where the Jewish people definitely suffered."
Also reflecting on how the past year impacted his community was Rabbi Joshua Fixler, the associate rabbi of Congregation Emanu El.
"I think the most important thing for this really challenging time is that we get to be together," Fixler told KHOU 11.
Fixler said the start of the Jewish new year comes during a time of painful reflection as it comes close to the one-year mark of Oct. 7 and the terrorist attack on Israel.
"The anniversary of Oct. 7, falling right in between Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur, sits pretty heavy for my community," Fixler said. "Lots of us are really struggling with how these prayers will feel this year."
The fighting in Gaza and operations by Israel's military that followed Oct. 7 led to tens of thousands of Palestinians killed.
"It's been incredibly difficult to watch," said William White, the director of the Houston Chapter of the Council on American-Islamic Relations.
White said the past year has prompted members of the Muslim and Arabic communities and beyond to call for the U.S. government to take action to end the fighting.
"I think a lot of people are maintaining and holding on to hope that we see an end to the genocide in Gaza," White said. "But at the same time, we're demanding action from our elected officials today and on October 7th, just as much as we were on October 7th, 2023."
Both communities said they are hopeful for a new year with peace.
"We are hopeful in the most merciful creator that peace will be brought back," White said.
"Going into Rosh Hashanah, that's what we hope for, we hope for a world that's a better place, a world that is full of peace," Lazaroff said.