The interfaith program, which included a performance by renowned cellist Yo-Yo Ma, included hymns and prayers in Christian, Jewish and Muslim traditions as well as readings from the Quran and the Bible.
Andrés, in tears – displaying a grief so different from his usual exuberant persona – spoke against a backdrop of flags representing the victims’ countries of origin, reading the names of the dead and recalling each of their stories. “They were the best of humanity,” he said. “Their example should inspire us to do better, to be better. »
Those celebrated were Palestinian Saifeddin Issam Ayad Abutaha, John Chapman of Great Britain, Jacob Flickinger of the United States and Canada, Lalzawmi “Zomi” Frankcom of Australia, James Henderson of Great Britain, James Kirby of Great Britain and Damian Sobol from Poland.
Flat-screen TVs throughout the space showed photographs of the deceased, some smiling for the cameras, others wearing WCK T-shirts; others showed them at work. The programs detailed their lives and their passion for helping people, the motivation that apparently drew each of them to war-ravaged Gaza.
“They will be remembered and revered for the kindness they showed and the love they gave,” Susan Shankman, senior rabbi of the Washington Hebrew Foundation, told the crowd. “They are shining examples of humanity. »
Andrés nearly collapsed while paying tribute to Frankcom, who he said was “like a sister to me.” Sobol, he said, “had an irresistible desire to help.” Andrés acknowledged the large number of aid workers from other organizations who were also killed – and he paid tribute to the WCK staff present, asking them to stand.
“You are our light in the darkness,” he said as the crowd erupted in sustained applause, a rare outburst in a sacred space.
Andrés also expressed dissatisfaction with the official explanation for the attack. “I know there are a lot of unanswered questions,” he said, including why WCK was operating in Gaza. “Even one innocent life taken is one life too many. »
Yet through his tears, he also expressed his continued dedication to his organization’s mission. “We take risks because we want to change the world,” he said. “Food is a universal human right: feeding each other, cooking and eating together is what makes us human. A plate of food is a plate of hope, a message that someone, somewhere cares.
Alongside Emhoff were Deputy Secretary of State Kurt Campbell, Senator Chris Van Hollen (Democrat of Maryland), and Deputy Secretary of State Julieta Valls Noyes. Diplomats from 30 countries, including the United States and Canada, were present, organizers said.
The memorial was no everyday affair, as evidenced by the high-profile attendees and setting, the site of a state funeral whose pews hosted foreign leaders and American statesmen, and the phalanx of media perched on an upper balcony, cameras and eyes glued to the crowd below. But the deaths of those remembered were felt around the world.
The April 1 attack on the convoy carrying the seven aid workers quickly sparked international outrage. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu called it “unintentional” and said Israeli authorities were “thoroughly investigating the matter” and would do “everything possible to prevent this from happening again.”
Four days later, the Israeli military released the results of its own investigation and said the attack on the WCK convoy was a “serious violation” of its policy, the result of “errors” and was “contrary” military procedures. He said two officers would be fired and commanders reprimanded, but made no mention of legal actions such as lawsuits. World Central Kitchen responded by asserting that the IDF “cannot credibly investigate its own failure in Gaza” and demanding that an independent commission investigate.
The killings also prompted WCK to suspend its operations in Gaza and other raiding organizations to follow suit, even as famine threatened the region’s Palestinians. WCK officials said they are considering whether and when to resume. Since the killings, Andres has maintained a relatively low public profile, although he said in a Reuters interview that WCK had communicated with the Israeli military about the whereabouts of aid workers and said that they were “deliberately targeted until everyone was dead.”
Andres, a Spanish immigrant to the United States who began building his restaurant empire in Washington, founded World Central Kitchen in 2010 as a scrappy organization. Since then, she has become one of the most recognized humanitarian forces, partnering with chefs on the ground in emergency situations, including hurricanes in Houston and Puerto Rico and wildfires in the western United States and Australia. He fed refugees on the U.S.-Mexico border and people fleeing war in Ukraine. His work earned him a Nobel Peace Prize nomination and made him, with his boundless energy and calls for “longer tables, not higher walls,” the face of humanitarian aid.
