My October 7th
I suppose I haven’t been able to collect my thoughts and sit down before now to talk about this. I’ve been too busy on social media posting information for those outside of Israel who don’t speak English and don’t receive accurate, truthful information from their news providers. For the past two years, I’ve been posting content and graphics, transcribing important informative videos from Israel, and translating them into other languages. I’ve been fervently signing petitions and sending them out to be signed by others around the world, and writing letters to women’s rights and human rights organizations reprimanding them for their deafening silence. I’ve been talking about the heinous crimes committed on that day and have been consumed with rage and sadness, but I haven’t yet talked about what I saw, felt, and experienced on and since that day.
I was invited to spend Simchat Torah, one of my favorite holidays, in Tel Aviv. It was Shabbat, Simchat Torah, and it was also my friend’s birthday. We were a group of friends set for a beautiful, festive holiday, where we would dance with the Torah, celebrating our having been given the Torah of Life.
We arrived in Tel Aviv. The air was filled with holiness and hope for the coming year. I was with some wonderful people, gearing up to have a great time. I was so joyful. I was used to the serene atmosphere of Jerusalem as traffic decreased, cars slowed down, and trucks and buses disappeared just before the holiday. But Tel Aviv was different. We had prepared a sumptuous meal that would be waiting for us at our friend’s house when we returned from synagogue and dancing in the streets.
It was a new experience for me to dance in the streets with cars still passing by. The drivers stopped for us to carry out our traditional celebration. Everyone, including the motorists, was celebrating. No one seemed angry or annoyed that we were slowing them down. There was just pure joy. It was heartwarming to hear the drivers wish us “Chag Sameach” (Happy Holiday), as we wished them the same. Later, we returned home to eat, drink, laugh, and toast around a table filled with harmony, humor, friendship, and delight. I remember feeling incredibly happy.
After dinner, we all went to our respective accommodations to sleep and prepare for the next morning at the synagogue. I slept deeply and contentedly.
At 6:30 in the morning, we heard rockets. Accustomed to this type of alarm clock, we didn’t think much of it and went back to sleep, but at 7:30, there were sirens followed by the blaring blast of rockets. We hurried into the stairwell, the designated location for protection. After waiting for a while, we returned to the apartment. Still serene from the night before, I went back to sleep. Later, a barrage of rockets was launched, and during this time, we turned on the television and our phones.
Prime Minister Netanyahu recounted the developing events. “This morning, Hamas launched a murderous surprise attack against the state of Israel and its citizens. We have been under attack since the early morning hours. I convened the heads of the security establishment, and I ordered, first of all, to clear out the communities that have been infiltrated by the terrorists. This is currently being carried out. At the same time, I have ordered an extensive mobilization of reserves, and we will return fire with a magnitude that the enemy has not known. The enemy will pay an unprecedented price. In the meantime, I call on the citizens of Israel to strictly adhere to the directives of the army and the Home Front Command. We are at war, and we will win it.”
We are at war!
Those words reverberated across my soul, leaving a deep spiritual and emotional impact. The only other details we knew were that this attack had been launched from the air, by sea, and by land. Later, we discovered the intense horror that was continuing to take place. I can’t describe what I was feeling or thinking, but I dressed and prepared to go to the synagogue.
I walked to the synagogue, eager to be there. Since it wasn’t a neighborhood I was familiar with, I followed the directions I had been given to find my way back. The streets were nearly empty, but I spotted a family and asked them if I was heading in the right direction towards the synagogue that I was looking for. Luckily, they confirmed that I was on the right path, and I reached it after a short walk. Inside, I found a few of my friends who were pleased to see that I had arrived despite the circumstances. They had been informed about the ongoing events in more detail.
There was a significant number of people inside engaged in prayer and singing. I felt grateful to be among them. Suddenly, I noticed different people, young individuals entering, exchanging greetings with their families, and then promptly leaving. It dawned on me that they had been called to duty right then and there. Our nation is a warrior nation, and in that moment, it became a stark reality to me.
After our prayers for the young soldiers, we concluded our service and gathered into groups to console one another. We partook in some of the holiday drinks that had been prepared for the occasion as we sat and conversed in the synagogue. The annual celebration that marks the completion of the Torah reading cycle is a time of great joy, singing, dancing, and parading Torah scrolls around the synagogue and in the streets.
This holy day signifies a period of spiritual renewal and new beginnings as we transition from the last words of Deuteronomy to the first words of Genesis, restarting the Torah cycle. This symbolizes the continuous, unbroken connection between the soul and the Torah as well as an unending connection to HaShem. Our bond with the Torah provides the people of Israel with vitality, intense fervor, and divine energy, all of which have been crucial for us in the past, throughout the centuries, and on this day, during these dreadful events.
Despite the shocking events, we faced the joy of this day, although brutally disrupted, was not dissipated. We mourned together as more news unfolded, offering prayers and finding solace in being together. We proceeded with the Simchat Torah feast, supporting each other through conversation and companionship. I will always be grateful for the people I shared this day with. With the world gathering against us as we have witnessed over the past two years, we will fight, we will educate, we will defend, and we will continue to celebrate our land, our people and our G-d, without wavering. We are Israel!
Am Yisrael Chai!
