Romi Gludt
What an adventure it has been, from us smiling, laughing, and even dancing around a bride and crashing a proposal, to us commemorating a day in history that must never be forgotten, the 500-day mark Since October 7. In Israel, it becomes even more apparent that during these times of pain, people, specifically but not only Israelis are forced to live two lives; one that is full of happy moments, and then in contrast, of the heart-wrenching reality that we have lost our people because of one of the most horrific days in history. However, if we, as the Jewish people have learned anything from our history, it is that this is our reality, and has been for hundreds of thousands of years. We even see it in our holidays such as Yom HaZikaron and Yom Haatzmaut, which are back-to-back.
Jews are forced to pivot from remembering our past, and unfortunately today, our present, but that will not let us as a nation and as a people be the end of us; we will always put up a fight when life gets unfair, we have been doing that since Roman times. It is surreal and even hard to process living in such a contrast, where life is black and white. As a society, we are taught to learn to live in the grey, and that not everything has to be happy or sad. But in reality, how can you not live a yin-yang life? How are we as a people supposed to live with the fact that we can laugh, and even celebrate one of the happiest days, while knowing that our people were taken hostage and beaten, raped, and even killed? As a 16-year-old, I wish I did not have to be faced with the challenge of figuring out how to be able to live in the grey. I wish we could live in peace, that I did not have to worry about wearing my kippah out in public. But most of all, I wish I could be the innocent kid I once was again, who thought the world was a nice place, that we could all get along without breaking down someone else’s beliefs and selves.
I realize that is not the case, that we are living in a heart-wrenching reality. So, the big question we ask ourselves is, how do we move forward? How do we, both as individuals and as a people, be able to live in the grey? While in Israel, I learned the true meanings of Am and Kahila. The only way for us to be able to move forward is if we are all there for each other, both mentally and physically. Everyone moves at their own pace, but at the end of the day, the goal is to find the balance of life again. When it comes to something as horrific as October 7, it is normal, and healthy to take care of yourself, whatever that looks like to you. I have found peace within myself while running and dancing, where it is just me, my body, the music, and everything else around me goes silent. The date October 7 will forever be a day of grief for us as Jews across the world. But like grief, the wound slowly begins to heal as time passes. It is crucial to remember that the goal is not to forget what happened but rather to be able to live your life again. That does not mean life will return to the old “normal,” but rather we use this time to reflect and create a new normal, keeping the names of the people we love and have lost during these times close to our hearts, forever, and always.
