For our Hadassah family, October 7 is and always will be a day of mourning and remembrance. This first anniversary falls during the most solemn days of the Jewish year, the Days of Awe.
Tomorrow, we will mourn all the people — men, women, babies and elderly — who were massacred on October 7 and in the aftermath, and we will grieve anew for all that has happened since that terrible day. For the families who have been ripped apart by devastation and loss. For the hostages kidnapped, brutalized and some savagely executed by Hamas. For the people of Israel, who have been plunged into war. And for Jews worldwide who have been shocked and horrified by the hostility and animosity leveled toward them — a new surge in antisemitism that continues to rise. Not one of us has been untouched.
Remembrance must be a call to action, a moral imperative — to do all we can to make sure the world recognizes the scope of Hamas’ atrocities. We must continue to serve the reminder that among the slaughtered were civilians of all ages and faiths, including peaceniks celebrating on their kibbutzim and young people dancing at the Nova music festival. Israelis of all faiths and walks of life share this trauma. Jews of all nations have a longer list now of things we must Never Forget.
So now, together, we pray for the release of those who have spent a year as Hamas’ hostages. And we pray for their families.
We pray for the many families who marked the Jewish new year with empty seats at their tables.
I am writing to you from Israel, carrying with me the love and prayers of our members and supporters. I know each of us holds in our hearts those families whose children or parents have been called up to serve in the IDF, to fight — whether it’s Hamas or Hezbollah — during the High Holidays, and always.
With gratitude,
Carol Ann Schwartz
Hadassah National President