A Year Since October 7th: Grief, Resilience, and the Fight Against Hate

October 7th, 2023, remains etched in my memory as one of the most heartbreaking days, not just for the violence in Israel, but for how deeply it affected the people I love. Seeing friends and family suffer, worrying about their safety, and carrying the weight of uncertainty within the Jewish community has been overwhelming. There’s a unique pain that comes with watching those close to you experience fear and loss, while feeling powerless to do anything but offer words of comfort from afar. The sense of helplessness and grief has been constant, and it’s shaken me to see how the effects of this tragedy have rippled through the lives of everyone around me.

Equally devastating has been the rise in antisemitism that followed. It’s frightening to witness how quickly hatred spreads in times of turmoil, and how a tragedy that should call for compassion and unity instead becomes a catalyst for more division. The grief in the Jewish community hasn’t only come from the loss of lives in Israel, but from facing threats and hostility at home and across the world. The weight of this dual burden — mourning while fending off hate — has made everything feel heavier, harder to bear.

It’s difficult to believe that a year has passed. The memories of that day, the anxiety, the tears, and the profound sadness still linger. In many ways, it feels like we’re all still processing what happened, still struggling to make sense of the loss, the fear, and the way it disrupted our community. Time has moved forward, but the pain remains constant. Yet, in that pain, there has also been resilience.

As we mark one year since that devastating day, one thing is clear: the resolve within the Jewish community has only grown stronger. We continue to rise, to fight for those still held hostage in Gaza, and to honor those who have lost their lives in this war. Our grief unites us, but so does our determination to build a world where love and tikkun olam — the Jewish principle of repairing the world — are stronger than hate.

The path ahead may be long, and the scars of this tragedy will likely stay with us. But as we move forward, we carry with us a shared commitment to healing, to fighting antisemitism, and to ensuring that the future is defined by compassion rather than division.