NEW HAVEN, Conn. (WTNH) — Jewish leaders from Yale held a vigil to remember those who have lost their lives in Israel and to take a stand, united, against the current violence.  

It was standing room only as hundreds from the Jewish community gathered at the Anderson Mansion to listen to political leaders, with the mayor of New Haven leading the charge.

“I think that it is important to acknowledge New Haven’s long history of standing up when there is injustice and anti-Semitism,” said Mayor Ellicker, “and this is yet another one of those cases.”

Inside the Anderson mansion, Senator Blumenthal (D) and Congresswoman DiLauro talked about what the federal government was doing for Israel. Despite calls for cease-fire amongst some in the Muslim community, Connecticut lawmakers say they are moving forward, keeping an eye on the real enemy.

“Israel is not alone. We must remember, also, that Hamas is the enemy,” said Congresswoman DiLauro. “The Palestinian people are not the enemy.”

Senator Blumenthal added, “As a member of the arm services committee I’m putting in a package not only a munitions and interceptors for iron dome. But also the kind of body armor and other basic technical gear that the Israeli army needs so they can better select targets and narrow its targets and avoid civilian deaths.”

This most recent conflict in Israel began on October 7th when the Islamist militant group Hamas launched an attack on Israel, killing 1,400 people. Since the initial attack more than 3,600 people have died from both sides of the conflict.