7 October

Today is a day of remembrance.

Today I remember.

The date, 7^th of October, will be forever inscribed in my memory.

A day I will never forget.

It was a sunny Friday morning. Simchat Torah, a Jewish holiday. We had recently returned from our holiday. Little did we know what would be awaiting us at home.

6.30 in the morning. We were still sleeping when the Red Code alarms began, their up- and-down, high-and- low pitch shattering our dreams. One after another after another. Endless. No respite. We had never had so many alarms in a row.

We had gone through a lot of wars and confrontation with Hamas over the years. Living in the south of Israel, we could say we were used to the alarms, the run to shelters, being woken up in the middle of the night, being scared by them while driving or shopping. Alarms were part of our “routine”.

But that October morning was different. The alarms wouldn’t stop, neither would the explosions – the Iron Dome intercepting missiles from Gaza.

I know now that this was a cover for the massacre taking place near the border, in the kibbutzim, on the roads, at bus stations, at the Nova music festival.

We didn’t know.

And then we turned on the TV, checked the news apps.

And the horror began to unfold, minute after minute, hour after hour.

I don’t want to recall the magnitude of the pain and suffering and helplessness and desperation of that day. It still makers me sick just thinking about it.

I will just bow my head, honoring the lives that were lost that day and in the days that followed.

Let us all remember 7^th of October.

The day that changed this country forever.

The day the darkness won.