Remembrance and Resilience for the Next Generation
My son was just two months old when Hamas attacked our homeland on October 7, 2023. The feelings I have felt every day since – anger, despair, and fear, for his safety and our country – have caused me to think about things in an existential way.
Ten months ago, I attended The March of the Living. It wasn’t my first time, but I had sworn after the last time that I would never return to that evil place. And yet, I felt compelled – not to mention honored – to accompany Survivors of the Holocaust and Hamas as they walked hand-in-hand through Auschwitz.
The juxtaposition was staggering. Teenagers and ninety-year-olds – separated by generations – were victims of the exact same Jew-hating plague. They shared what it felt like to be a slave, a captive without freedom, and a Survivor.
And it made me think again about my role protecting my son and my family, knowing that eighty years prior, there were Jews just like me worrying about the safety of their families day in and day out.
Where we live in Tel Aviv, I wondered each night whether tonight would be a full night of sleep or if it would be one interrupted by sirens.
When we visited the U.S., I had to worry if I could walk down the streets with my family wearing a kippa and Magen David.
How is it that three generations later, we are faced with the same worries?
I feel privileged to have my family with me, even if we are huddling in the safe room. Eighty years ago, parents were separated from their children, wives from their husbands. Not knowing their fate until liberation came.
On October 7, we saw the same horrific scene play out again. So many members of the same family had no idea what became of their loved ones. The psychological torture was similar.
Today, on International Holocaust Remembrance Day, I am struck by the optimism of both Survivors of the Holocaust and October 7. They have been to hell and back and still they desire to create a better future, despite bearing witness to humanity’s most barbaric and evil actions.
How could someone who has endured so much still be so hopeful about tomorrow?
One such recent example that stood out to me was what I took away after speaking with Or Levy, an October 7th survivor who spent 491 days in captivity. Or and his wife Eynav, who had a two-year-old son at the time, were at the Nova music festival on October 7. He was abducted and didn’t know Eynav’s fate until his release – that she had been murdered and their son was without a parent for more than a year.
Or said that while he lives with immense survivor’s guilt, there’s nothing he can do to make up for the loss of his son’s mother. Every morning when he hugs his son, they both feel her absence. But despite his pain, he said that he cannot be broken on the ground. He said the only way out is through.
That’s when everything made sense.
His mantra, “He who has a why can bear any how,” resonates with me deeply as a parent.
Whether they are Survivors of the Holocaust or October 7, or Jews who have been victims of antisemitism – the oldest form of hatred in the world – we remain optimistic in the throes of fear and pain because we have to, for our children.
Our brains are profoundly resilient. Through all the trauma and recovery, our minds are on our side. As a community, we must work together to build resilience and strength to overcome those traumas, not just for ourselves, but for the generations that will follow.
