Music was played, laughs were shared and tears were shed inside of Shirat Hayam on Tuesday evening as members of the Israel Symphony Orchestra performed a concert in remembrance of lives lost in Israel on October 7, 2023.

After a rabbi from North Andover connected with members of the orchestra in talks of a potential event, he said his community’s synagogue was not the right place to host the event. A few phone calls later, it was determined the event would be held in Swampscott.

Shirat Hayam Rabbi Michael Ragozin said it was an honor to host the gathering.

Three members of the Israel Symphony Orchestra took center stage with their stringed instruments, playing a series of classical and traditional tunes. Some pieces had a joyous mood, while others were more somber.

Toward the end of the performance, the audience joined in with the musicians, clapping and singing along to certain songs. A group of students with The Jewish Agency for Israel got out of their seats and danced around the room, overcoming the sorrowful reasoning for the gathering with happiness.

“There’s a very strong connection between most of the people here in the audience to Israel, to return to the Jewish homeland, to struggles and to live like a human being in our ancestral homeland,” Ragozin told the Swampscott Tides.

Ragozin said connection with the community through the power of the stringed instruments is very moving.

When addressing the audience at the beginning of the event, Ragozin said he wanted to be careful before saying “good evening” because the point of the gathering was not to have such a pleasant night.

“Tonight we mark October 7, remember the fallen, recall the hardship and celebrate the heroism,” said Ragozin.

After the performance, members of the audience stuck around to meet, greet and learn more about the Israel Symphony Orchestra.