South Florida has joined in remembering the victims and honoring the survivors of the Oct. 7th attack on Israel on its third anniversary. In Miami Beach, many gathered in remembrance of the event in which over 1,000 people died and Hamas took hundreds hostage. Some mourners witnessed the event s of Oct. 7th firsthand. “At the beginning, I was too shocked even to understand what’s happening,” said survivor Maya Izoutchee. Izoutchee spoke to crowds at the Holocaust Memorial Miami Beach on Wednesday. The memorial is the first in the world to engrave the names of Oct. 7 victims in both English and Hebrew. Izoutchee described working at the Nova Music Festival where many were killed. “I was running, and we heard gunfire, shooting,” said Izoutchee. “We heard people, everything, but also rockets flying above our heads.” The Holocaust Memorial featured reflections from a Holocaust survivor, and opportunities to experience the memorial’s new Oct. 7th virtual reality exhibit. An engraving of the victims’ names stands tall as a reminder of those who lost or ran for their lives. “After I escaped and I arrived home, I thought that I escaped the worst, but the worst was still ahead of me because we realized the scale of it,” Izoutchee said. “We realized how many friends we had taken hostage, how many people are missing.” Shortly after the attack, Israeli firefighters were called up for military service. Eight Miami Beach Firefighters volunteered to travel to Israel and help wherever they could. Former Israel Defense Forces soldier Ben Ladany spoke at a Miami Beach Fire Station Wednesday. He was injured in the Gaza war that followed and was left wheelchair bound for two years. “I was there on the 7th of October with my K9, Jack, and we jumped from kibbutz to kibbutz,” Ladany said. “We were there for roughly three days, four days, and I saw the true and utter face of hatred.” As time passes, victims of the attack continue to heal. “We have no other choice, because if not, our soul will be black and rotten,” said Izoutchee. Some said they are trying to move away from hatred. “I will never hold hate in my heart,” said Ladany. “And now that I don’t hate, I can heal.” ...read more read less