Inside Israel's fight for survival one year later - opinion

On the evening of October 6, 2023, my extended family gathered at my parents’ home to mark the 50th anniversary of the Yom Kippur War.

As we listened to them recall the surprise and shock of that day, and the personal and national responses to the war, I was reminded of how that conflict, whose lead-up became known as “the mother of all intelligence failures,” led Israel on a path of new strategic thinking that included adopting a devil’s advocate approach when evaluating any course of military action. 

We had no idea how soon this notion would be tested. Hours later, at 6:29 on Shabbat morning, the earth shook. 

I was on my regular Saturday morning run when my phone lit up with red alert notifications. Immediately after, explosions echoed around me, with large parts of Israel under missile attack. What we didn’t know then was that these projectiles were just a diversion tactic, setting the stage for a land invasion by Hamas from Gaza into Israeli kibbutzim, towns, and even a music festival, to carry out the most horrific and deadly attack on the Jewish people since the Holocaust.

October 7 changed my perception of human evil. I never deluded myself in thinking it didn’t exist, but the scale of the attack, the unimaginable cruelty, and the terrifying outcomes of that day led me to understand how members of a society indoctrinated to hate others can resort to inhumane barbarism. In that moment I took on the mission to do everything possible to uproot such a dangerous way of thinking. 

In the days following October 7, our minds were flooded with a spectrum of thoughts, feelings, and questions – about our shattered sense of security, the impact on Israeli society as a whole, including on non-Jewish minorities who were directly affected, the other fronts Israel is facing, and the fate of over 100,000 internally displaced Israelis. It soon became clear that above all else, two subjects would dominate our thinking from that point forward: the savage cruelty of the massacre and the fate of the hostages. 

As with every Israeli, I had people around me affected by the massacre. 

My sister-in-law’s family was slaughtered in Kibbutz Be’eri. Only two of the six family members survived: Tomer (12) and Nir (8). Their parents, Chen and Rinat, and their brothers, Alon (16), and Ido (14) – may their memories be a blessing – were brutally murdered by Hamas terrorists while shielding the two young brothers with their bodies.

My daughter’s friend, Cpl. Noa Marciano, was kidnapped to Gaza from her IDF base and was murdered in captivity a little over than a month later. Her body was later recovered by the IDF and buried in Israel. 

The list goes on and on – endless stories of heartbreak and horror, an emotional roller coaster that never stops. A heavy weight has been in our hearts, not just for a moment, but throughout the year. 

YET, AMID this hardship, we witnessed moving solidarity, unimaginable heroism from citizens and security personnel, and incredible resilience. In the country’s darkest hour, the Israeli spirit has shone brightly, helping bridge disagreements and enabling Israeli society to stand united against all challenges. 

And alongside this Israeli spirit stood the unwavering support of Diaspora Jewry. 

Communities and organizations that in normal times have differing views on a variety of subjects stood unified in support of Israel, loudly calling for and working toward the release of the hostages. These Jewish communities stood firmly with Israel while confronting a tsunami of antisemitism and anti-Israel hate. 

This led me to my second mission: ensuring Israeli society does not forget this moment in Jewish history, when we all stood together in unity with Israel and the hostages, and against the rise of antisemitism and anti-Israel hate. 

Of all the post-October 7 issues, the hostage situation is the most excruciating. This occupies my thoughts more than anything – the beautiful faces of the kidnapped children, women, and men, are seen across the country and the world. My waking hours are spent thinking about what more we can do to bring them home. 

Reaching a deal must take precedence over everything else. While Israel’s security challenges will certainly remain for many years, a nation cannot allow its sons and daughters to remain in cruel captivity. 

Freeing captives is one of the highest values in Judaism, and this is what guides me. I know this will be hard and may require difficult steps on Israel’s part, but what other choice do we have? As long as the hostages are not returned home, Israeli society cannot fully heal from the wounds of October 7 and work toward rebuilding. 

This is the task before us. We must do all we can to push for the release of the hostages. We must also work to fortify the bonds of Jewish peoplehood linking us across the world, while simultaneously strengthening the Israeli values of family, community, respect, and tolerance, and rejecting those who seek to divide us through hate and extremism. Only then will we, as individuals and as a society, be able to lift our heads and rebuild from this terrible tragedy.

The writer is the Anti-Defamation League’s senior regional director for Israel and MENA (Middle East and North Africa countries).