Today is October 7, 2023.
It has been October 7, 2023 for 365 days for many of us.
Time has stood still.
First we learned about the atrocities inflicted upon innocent Israeli men, women, and children. Holocaust survivors who survived death camps were murdered and raped 80 years later. Babies were burned alive by fire or in an oven. Women were raped so many times and by so many monsters that their bodies showed broken pelvises. Young festival goers were burned alive and blown up inside shelters. More than 1,200 humans were murdered on this day. Approximately 250 hostages were taken into Gaza.
There have been moments of elation and hope when we hear good news. Some hostages have been released alive… in exchange for terrorists who have murdered. Innocent people exchanged for murderers.
Many have returned to their families after being murdered in captivity. Stories of starvation, oxygen deprivation, rape, mental and physical torture have emerged.
And with all of this, the world has decided that Israel , and subsequently the Jewish People are somehow to blame.
Israel retaliated. Innocent Palestinians were caught in the middle. But HAMAS IS TO BLAME. There were arsenals and terror tunnels found beneath hospitals, mosques, and within children’s bedrooms.
Mainstream media did a horrific job reporting about the situation. They used numbers and information given to them by the Gaza Health Ministry. This organization is run by HAMAS: The terror organization that started all of this nightmare. They reported that Israel blew up a hospital in Gaza. It was easily determined by forensic science that the hospital was hit by a misfire that was sent from within Gaza and meant to hit Israel. The damage was done and the world never looked back.
Antisemitism throughout the world is at a record high throughout the world. In the USA alone, the ADL reports 10,000 incidents since October 7, 2023. 1,840 incidents of vandalism, 8,015 cases of verbal or written harassment and 150 cases of physical assault. At least 1,200 antisemitic incidents happened on college campuses and another 2,000 occurred at Jewish institutions. We are witnessing similar cases throughout the world.
Through all of this, we attempt to go about our everyday lives. Working, raising our children, paying bills. But it never leaves our minds. It is still October 7, 2023.
We have witnessed friends and family turn a blind eye to the terror of October 7. “Me Too” does not count if you are Israeli or Jewish. Rape and murder are somehow justified. These “friends” march for countless causes and always stick up for the “underdog.” That is, until it is Israel and the Jewish People. These people are no longer our friends after decades. Their silence has been deafening.
Our children are choosing to move to the war-ridden country of Israel and fight for the IDF and for the Jewish People. They have been terrorized at their schools, colleges and jobs in the USA and other countries. They feel that there is no place for them other than Israel. My son is included in this statistic.
Some of us have uprooted our lives to be closer to family and other Jewish communities. Our DNA and voices in our heads from our long lost grandparents are warning us about what is happening around us. The words “NEVER AGAIN” re-emerging from our childhood memories.
The devastation drove me to start a Facebook page called The I’m Losing My Shit Because I’m Jewish Support Group. It has now grown to 2,600 members worldwide. We have made new friends and connections that will last a lifetime. We are turning to virtual friendships and support as we feel more isolated in our communities.
Several weeks ago, 6 hostages were brutally murdered just before they would have been freed. One of them, Hersh, was American. He was all of our “son.” That day opened fresh wounds as if they had never closed since October 7th.
Last week Iran sent 120 ballistic missiles into Israel. Without the Iron Dome, assistance from the US and other countries, and other forms of technology, the population of Israel would have been decimated. That is genocide. Where is the outrage and the marching?
Israel has been told to hold back, to use caution and to avoid injury to civilians. They have done an incredible job considering the number of terrorists that are hunkered down amongst children and women. They literally attacked Hezbollah by infiltrating Hezbollah’s own equipment. But they were still told that it was too much. Thousands of rockets have hit Israel since October 7 from Lebanon. Can you imagine if this was happening in the USA?? The hypocrisy is exhausting.
We will do what we can. We will continue to post on social media, share information as much as we can, March for our hostages, and find networks of new people who we trust. We will survive and we will get our hostages home. We will pray for peace.
Today the calendar says October 7, 2024. Until the hostages are returned, millions of Israelis return to their homes, and peace ensues…it will still be October 7, 2023.
Am Yisrael Chai.
