MACON, Ga. — People in Macon gathered Wednesday to pray for an end to the conflict in Israel and the Gaza Strip.
At a prayer service at Temple Beth Israel on Cherry Street, people expressed hurt and anger over the fighting. Many were horrified by the attacks from Hamas fighters at a music festival over the weekend.
Prayer and music filled the temple's sanctuary as people came together to pray for the victims and their families. Many also prayed for peace.
"I am scared that more and more bodies will be uncovered. That the number of individuals who are kidnapped will increase," Rabbi Elizabeth Bahar said.
Many at the service were frustrated over the renewed fighting, but at the same time, many had courage in faith.
"In this moment, hope in God. Courage and strength to your heart," said Rabbi Aaron Rubinstein of Congregation Sha'arey Israel.
The sanctuary was full as both rabbis led a joint service. The goal was to allow people to come together and grieve.
Nicholas Fox went to the service to feel connection. He wanted to bring attention to the conflict and remind people they may not understand what others are going through.
"We're connected, but we're also so divided. It's so easy to look at other people in front of a screen, and not to actually see them, not to see their pain, and to assign some moralization onto them," Fox said.
One of the things Rabbi Bahar told the congregation was that you can either choose to have doubt or faith. Many of the people at the service hoped their faith would lead to a quick resolution of the violence.