It’s been a year. A year since roughly 1,200 people were murdered by Hamas terrorists. A year since 251 hostages were taken to Gaza, with 97 remaining in captivity. A year since roughly 360,000 reservists were called to duty to risk their lives for Israel. A year since Jewish communities around the world, including CESJDS, have rallied around Israel’s fight for survival. It has been a year of sorrow, despair and hope for the Jewish people.
Even after a year, the wounds from Oct. 7 are still fresh for the Jewish community. They continue to impact us globally, communally and personally.
Globally, antisemitism has risen by 200 percent since Oct. 7. This rise in antisemitism has left many Jewish people feeling afraid to outwardly support Israel. It is unthinkable that in 2024, Jews are afraid to be harassed in the streets of prominent countries like the United States, Britain, France and other European countries, simply because of their connection to Israel. What is even more problematic is that these fears have been legitimized by numerous incidents that have occurred over the past year. Even in our own community, these fears have caused JDS to build a new security vestibule and fence. It has also led many shuls to practice evacuation drills and increase security measures.
This rise in antisemitism has felt irrational and unstoppable. Oct. 7 brought antisemites out from the shadows and stuck them under the spotlight. In Europe, there has been an explosion of Holocaust denial and Jew hatred, making it more clear that anti-Israel rhetoric is directly tied to anti-Jewish rhetoric.
In the United States, college campuses have become infested with rioters screaming “Hey hey, ho ho, the Zionists have got to go” and encampments with posters that read “Long live the Intifada.” Jewish students are being harassed and denied entry to buildings by other students, solely because they are Jewish. These chants and actions are not just against Israel, but attacks on the safety of the worldwide Jewish community. Their prevalence in the past year has changed many Jews’ opinions on colleges and emphasized the importance of their safety on campuses.
In the JDS community, the visceral and devastating outcomes of Oct. 7 have been felt very personally. Less than two weeks into the war, alumnus Omer Balva (‘19) was killed by a missile sent by Hezbollah on Israel’s northern border with Lebanon, shortly after he was called up from the reserves following the Oct. 7 attack. The community mourned together through a vigil, and tributes to Balva now hang in the Upper School, such as Balva’s framed soccer jerseys and a memorial plaque on the wall of an entrance to the dining hall.
In August, the cousin of High School Assistant Principal Aileen Goldstein, American-Israeli hostage Hersh Goldberg-Polin, was murdered after being held hostage for 330 days. The community came together to mourn the innocent loss of life and continues to mourn as the war proceeds. This horrific attack came right after former Arabic teacher Hani Abo-Awad’s brother-in-law Qaid Farhan Alkadi was rescued from captivity in Gaza.
Even in these difficult times, we can find silver linings. Since Oct. 7, many people’s Jewish pride has increased, a testament to our strength in times of hardship. We see now more than ever Jewish people of all levels of observance wearing Magen David necklaces and dog tags in honor of the hostages. Just over a month after Oct. 7, over 290,000 Jews and allies gathered on the National Mall to rally support for Israel, which was the largest rally of Jews in modern history.
Children are being named in memory of hostages. Professionals are switching jobs to more directly benefit Israel. Many Jewish voters are considering decisions surrounding Israel more this year when making decisions of who they will vote for in the upcoming presidential election. This war has made the Jewish community reevaluate its priorities, shaping a more unified diaspora community around Israeli advocacy.
Additionally, Jewish organizations across the United States have organized mission trips to Israel. These trips allow participants to volunteer on deserted farms, listen to Nova festival survivors’ testimonies and support struggling Israeli small businesses. Bearing witness to the loss on Oct. 7 and rebuilding the Israeli community has certainly been a focus of many Americans in the past year.
More locally, the JDS community has shifted significantly in the past year. There has been an outpouring of Zionism throughout the school, with more Israeli flags appearing throughout the hallways and art displayed for the hostages on the walls. Prayers for Israel and the hostages have been added to weekly Kab Shab programming and in some Zman Kodesh’s daily davening. JDS has invited several Israeli speakers such as the culture and lifestyle editor of the Times of Israel Jessica Steinberg, and the Israel-Is organization just last week, to speak to students. More than ever, JDS has instilled their students with pride for Israel as an outgrowth of the war.
There has also been a huge influx of Israeli students who have come to JDS since the start of the war. According to an email by Head of School Mitchel Malkus, there were 80 inquiries about joining the school directly after Oct. 7 and 43 enrollments. This means that JDS students were actively feeling the effects of the war, as their peers and students were newly integrated as a result of the war in Israel.
While people of all ages have been impacted by the war, Oct. 7 has had a unique effect on teenagers. The Nova Music Festival, an event with primarily teenagers and young adults was hit very hard, with nearly 365 murdered and 39 taken hostage in Gaza. This has led young adults to advocate more strongly for Israel on university campuses and a significant increase in IDF enlistments by United States citizens. In response to this increase, yeshiva and seminary programs that attract a lot of Americans are adding feeder programs to the IDF called “Hesder,” which have seen a massive increase in lone soldier enrollment.
A year ago, it was unthinkable that on Oct. 7, 2024, we would still be at war. Even amid Israel’s recent victories such as the assassination of former Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah and the deflection of Iran’s strike on Israel, the largest missile attack in history, we are still waiting for all the hostages to return home and for the day when the daily death toll of the war reaches zero. But we have not reached that point, and there are still predictions of escalation and inevitable violence in the future.
On most billboards, bus stop ads and signs on lamposts in Israel, a common phrase is written. The phrase “B’yachad Nenatzeach,” which means “together we will win,” has become a mantra to sustain hope in the Israeli people. This must not be limited to Israeli society. We all must continue to rally around Israel and fight for its cause. We all must pray for the immediate return of the hostages. We all must support those suffering from terror attacks in Israel. We all must comfort those whose relatives have been killed in the conflict.
We all must continue to act so that on Oct. 7, 2025, we can celebrate Israel’s success and sustained peace. Only then will we learn the true meaning of B’yachad Nenatzeach.
