October 7, 2026
The page has turned to the calendar date that says October 7th, and yet I wonder: how is it possible that my heart’s calendar carries two permanent pages on it, October 7th and October 8th?
On the October 7th page are layers upon layers of stories and images of the kibbutzim, Sderot, Nova, an entire region attacked in the early hours of the morning at 6:29 a.m. For two years, we carried with us the hope of returned hostages. They all came home, some alive, others murdered before their time.
I think of the families whose lives were changed forever. The communities that were destroyed and have yet to be rebuilt. I think of the young female soldiers who stood guard along the border and did their job, only to not be believed. I think of the families who hid in their shelters and the young women who were victimized by unspeakable actions. All 1,200 who lost their lives and 251 who were taken into captivity. Our world will never be the same.
On October 8th, we woke up to a new world. A world of pain and resolve to bring every hostage home. Who would have believed it would have taken two years? On October 8th, every one of us knew the world had changed. We drew closer to one another; we drew closer to the Jewish people. We knew we needed each other, and the world responded with rallies for the release of the hostages.
For a day, the world stood by us, but that shifted too. A calculated and intentional delegitimization campaign began, with antisemitism and anti-Zionism sprouting in every crevice. Our young people struggle with their identities; they wonder how to respond when their peers post lies and falsehoods on social media. They want to be accepted, and then the world turns on them when they realize they are Jewish.
We have carried ethical questions, wishing the answers were simple. We hear and read perspectives that shape our minds and what we think, and we wonder what to believe. Who can we trust? We mourn the countless innocent lives lost, and we hope and pray that those who seek to do us harm will have their weapons turned into plowshares and their thoughts turned from hate to curiosity to love.
Today, like Yom Hashoah and Tisha B’av, is a day of mourning on the Jewish calendar. The families of the victims carry the grief with them each and every day. Much of the Jewish world does too, but we feel it differently. Today, the Jewish people feel the pain all over again. May the memories of the righteous be forever a blessing, and may the families of the victims be carried on eagle’s wings to a place of comfort.
L’shalom,
Rabbi Rick Kellner