Today is a
day of remembrance.
Today I remember.
The date, 7th
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 7th of October.
The day
that changed this country forever.
The day the darkness won.
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