Many around the D.C. region are grieving after recent attacks on Israel by Hamas has led to days of violence in Israel and Gaza. More than 1,000 Israelis and 900 Palestinians have died as the violence further escalates, according to the most recent estimates.

On Tuesday night, over 100 people gathered at Meridian Hill Park in Columbia Heights to publicly recite the Kaddish – a Jewish prayer for the dead — for both Israelis and Palestinians killed in the conflict. The event was organized by the group IfNotNow, a Jewish organization that says its mission is to organize “for equality, justice, and a thriving future for Palestinians and Israelis,” to create a space for local people to come together.

The event is far from the only to be organized in recent days. There have already been several rallies and vigils, including one that occurred on the same evening and was held at Adas Israel Congregation – one of the largest synagogues in the D.C. region. That vigil drew a crowd of several hundreds of people, along with Mayor Muriel Bowser and other local leaders.

“We learn from Jewish tradition that we’re not meant to mourn alone,” says Rabbi Jenna Shaw, who led the prayer.

One of the core teachings of Judaism is b’tzelem Elohim — meaning that every living human is created in the image of God — says Shaw. That’s why they call for an end to the years of fighting between the Israeli military and Hamas militants, which has led to hundreds of civilian casualties.

“If we’re going to mourn for Israelis, we also have to mourn for Palestinians,” continues Shaw.

Shoshana Rosenbaum, who lives in D.C. with her husband and their two teenage boys, says she wanted to attend the prayer to mourn the loss of all lives.

“I believe in the effort toward peace, even in the darkest days,” says Rosenbaum. “There has to be an acknowledgment of the pain of both peoples in order to make any progress, so that’s why I wanted to be here.”

In attendance with Rosenbaum was her son, Gideon Westendorf, who echoed his mother’s sentiments of acknowledging the pain on all sides.

“I definitely agree with my mom,” says the 15-year-old. “You have to put yourself in somebody else’s shoes too. And just know that it’s not one-sided, there’s so many people who are feeling this.”

But for many in the Jewish community, says Sandra Markowitz of D.C., the past few days have led to further divisions, even among families.

“Grief is hard when it’s something that you feel like you’re processing alone,” says Markowitz. “I was looking forward to this all day.”

Others in the crowd, such as D.C. resident Jesse Rabinowitz, felt less hopeful. He says he’s bracing for the Israeli government to launch further military strikes that could lead to thousands more deaths.

“It’s been really hard to watch people that I love in Israel run to bomb shelters and it’s been hard to watch people in Gaza have no bomb shelters to run to,” says Rabinowitz.

Badr Elbendary, who is from Egypt but lives in D.C., was passing by the park when he came across the gathering. He says he grew up hearing lots of negative sentiment about Israelis but his opinions changed in graduate school when he made friends from Israel. Elbendary says he still has his disagreements with his Jewish friends, but he was touched by the prayer for all people.

“It’s so sad for all those lives that are being lost for the continuous, endless cycle of violence,” says Elbendary. “We all have people that we care for and that we love. We all feel grief. We all hope for a better future for our coming generations.”

Another person in attendance, Kate Sugarman, is a physician who says she previously did humanitarian work in Israel. She hopes for a ceasefire and for everyone to live together with dignity and fairness but says there’s only one way to achieve it.

“Everyone needs to stop the killing,” says Sugarman. “Everybody.”