Harrietstown Supervisor Jordanna Mallach organized this candlelight vigil to pray for peace and oppose hatred and terrorism, gathering with hope for a better world, but also with the knowledge that hope is not enough.

Many people there described feeling disturbed watching the brutal conflict between Israelis and the Palestinian militant group Hamas at the border of the Gaza Strip.

The death count there is rising — more than 4,000 dead in total. An estimated 1,400 were been killed by Hamas in Israel during the group’s Oct. 7 assault — only 286 of which have been identified as soldiers, according to Israel’s military, meaning around 1,100 were civilians. By early this week, an estimated 2,808 had been killed by Israeli retaliatory strikes in Gaza — 65% of them women and children, according to the Palestinian Health Ministry, along with 37 medical staff. The death toll in Israel included 30 Americans, according to the U.S. State Department. Thousands more were wounded and Hamas had reportedly taken 200 hostages, according to the Associated Press.

Around half of Gaza’s 2 million population had fled their homes to get to the south end of the region, away from where the Israeli military says it plans to increase bombing, according to the AP.

The violence feels close for Mallach. Her father was raised in Israel. After high school, she spent most of her summers living and working there. She still has family there.

She said this vigil was “not about who is right or wrong,” but against hate and terrorism. She believes the power of prayer can have an effect on that.

Among the whispered Amens and Shabat Shaloms, there were calls to action to be a voice for peace.

Mallach ended the vigil with a prayer titled “Prayer Alone is Not Enough” by the Rabbi Jack Riemer, which is about how hoping is not enough. The prayer says humans have been given all the tools to fix the world, if only humans would use them.

“We cannot only pray to You, O God, / to end war, / for we know that you have made the world in such a way / that we must find the paths to peace,” the prayer reads.

Last week, Mallach told the Adirondack Daily Enterprise that if 20 people attended, she would have felt like it was worth it. Many more showed up for the vigil.

Saranac Laker Andrew Milne pointed out that the candles were carried by Saranac Lakers of all beliefs, religions and backgrounds. He said in a time of many voices of hatred, this gave him hope. Saranac Laker Joy Cranker said she wished the rest of the world would get on board.

Milne said peace is not just the absence of violence, but that it is presence of harmony, justice and understanding.

Mallach read “A Prayer for Our World,” which was adapted from Rabbi Jay Sherwood’s “A Prayer for Our Country.” It was a call for compassion, love and wisdom among the faithful and the world’s leaders.

Sue Semegram, the president of the Lake Placid Synagogue board, read a statement from the synagogue’s Rabbi Alec Friedmann.

“We need to join forces and stand firmly with Israel while also showing empathy for the civilians impacted by the recent violence on both sides,” she said, reading his statement. “We can criticize Israeli policies while condemning Hamas, a terrorist group, targeting innocent civilians.

“Israel is the homeland of the Jewish people and deserves our unwavering support,” she added.

Semegram then led those who knew the song in singing Israel’s national anthem “Hatikvah” or “The Hope.”

Franklin County Legislator Lindy Ellis, D-Saranac Lake, prayed for protection for the civilians and army of Israel.

“We pray for those in Israel,” she said. “May there be peace within their walls and security within their homes. May the terrorists be caught and stopped. May the hostages be freed.”

Virginia “Ginger” Slater, a lay-leader from the Adirondack Unitarian Universalist Church, read a statement from the UU church association, which grappled with how to think of and discuss this conflict. The statement said it is difficult to “nuance two very real histories of oppression and violence” and warned that the world is on “a dangerous precipice.”

“Be gentle with yourselves when you need to be, but do not turn away unless you must,” Slater said. “May our heartbreak crack open new space for the sacred.”

Leo Pickens, the clerk for the local Quakers group, asked the crowd to give a minute of silence, to hold all affected by the violence in their hearts. The crowded band shell in the park was quiet. At the end of the moment of silence, he asked everyone to look inward and seek their highest aspiration for the world.

The Rev. Eric Olson from the First United Methodist Church of Saranac Lake and the Lutheran Church of the Holy Trinity said evil and contempt for human life has reared its head again. This is not the first time and it won’t be the last, he said. He also said hate exists in Saranac Lake, too.

Evil breeds more evil, he said, and stopping it starts with the individual.

Adirondack North Country Gender Alliance Executive Director Kelly Metzgar acknowledged the hate seen in recent years here and led the crowd in saying “hate has no place in Saranac Lake.”