Cardinal Timothy Dolan and members of a New York faith leadership group heard the harrowing accounts of survivors of the October 7 attacks in Israel, at a meeting of the group held two months to the day after the incident.

Speaking at the event were Leora Elion and her granddaughters Gali Elion, 15, and Mika Luz, also 15. They survived almost 36 hours in a safe room near their home at Kibbutz Kfar Aza, located about one mile from the border with Gaza. Leora’s son and Gali’s father, Tal Elion, was killed during the attack while leading the kibbutz’s defense team.

The family had gathered at home for dinner on the night of October 6. They were awakened by a code red alarm at 6:30 a.m., indicating that a rocket or other attack was imminent and that they should immediately run to a nearby safe room. Because the safe room is designed more specifically to protect from aerial attacks and not ground assaults, it cannot be locked from the inside. As a result, the safe room occupants had to take turns holding the door shut as terrorists that entered the camp attempted to open it, the women said.

“They didn’t get to us, it’s pure luck, they just gave up,” Leora Elion said. 

Although mortally wounded, Tal Elion notified a nearby kibbutz of the impending attack. “In his last seconds, he called Kibbutz Sa’ad, and he warned them,” Gali Elion said. Kibbutz Sa’ad is to the south and west of Kibbutz Kfar Ana.

“My father was a superhero,” Gali Elion said, recalling when soldiers from the Israeli Defense Forces informed her he had been killed. “I didn’t believe that something can happen to a superhero.” Leora Elion’s home was destroyed during the attack, leaving her and members of her family displaced.

Also in attendance were Danielle Mor and Neta Katz of the Jewish Agency for Israel. Mor presented Cardinal Dolan with a replica dog tag with “Stand with Israel” engraved in Hebrew on one side. 

The event was organized by the Commission of Religious Leaders (CORL), of which Cardinal Dolan serves as chairman. The group meets around three times annually and focuses on issues such as prison reform, gun violence, homelessness, and the asylum seeker crisis.

Along with Cardinal Dolan on behalf of CORL were Rev. Dr. A.R. Bernard, president of CORL: Rabbi Joseph Potasnik, vice president of CORL; Rabbi Michael Miller, executive vice president and CEO emeritus of the Jewish Community Relations Council of New York; Bishop Robert Brennan of the Diocese of Brooklyn; Rev. Dr. Que English, director of the Center for Faith-Based and Neighborhood Partnerships at the U.S. Department and Health and Human Services; Bishop Victor Brown, senior pastor of Mt. Sinai United Christian Church; Rev. Herb Daughtry; Elder David Buckner of the Church of Jesus Christ of LDS; Rev. Jacques DeGraff; and Monsignor Kevin Sullivan of the Archdiocese of New York.

The meeting concluded with a laying-on of hands and prayer led by Rev. Dr. A.R. Bernard, who thanked God for protecting the women during the attack. “May this strengthen their Jewish identity. May they take pride in their people and understand that you have left them as a witness to Your grace and Your truth.” 

Cardinal Dolan thanked the women for sharing their experience and pledged the group’s support for them. “To suffer is awful. To suffer alone is worse,” he said.