Even though today’s date is 7.10.2024, it still feels like 7.10.2023. A full year has passed on the calendar, yet time feels frozen, as if the shock, pain, and fear of that day never really went away. Whether in Tel Aviv, Berlin, or New York, or any place where Jewish communities gather, the wounds from that day are still fresh. It feels like the world has moved on, but we are still standing in the shadow of that tragic date, caught between the past and a future that remains uncertain. That date is not only a reminder of time passing but also a symbol of time standing still, a day that refuses to let go.

7th of October 2023 was the day everything shifted. It was a day of sirens and screams. It was a day of fear. It was a day of the unimaginable becoming reality.

Rockets rained down from Gaza; terror attacks rippled across communities, and the promise of safety felt more fragile than ever.

In a country that has lived through so much conflict and loss, there was a shared hope that maybe, just maybe, the worst was behind. October 7th shattered that illusion.

The images of that day—families huddled in bomb shelters, homes destroyed, and more—play over and over again in people’s minds. One year later, these feelings of vulnerability and fear have not disappeared.

It’s as if life is divided into “before” and “after,” and no matter how far we move into the future, we are still stuck in the pain of 2023.

For those who lost their loved ones, it feels almost cruel to move forward. How can the world keep spinning when their world stopped on that day?

It is important to understand that this trauma is not confined to Israel. Jewish communities around the world, especially in places like Germany, France, the US, and the UK, have also felt the ripple effects of that day.

For Jews living outside Israel, the 7th of October 2023 brought a surge of fear and insecurity.

Attacks against Jews in other countries often spike during times of conflict in Israel, and 2023 was no different.

Attacks against Jews in other countries often spike during times of conflict in Israel, and 2023 was no different.

In places like Berlin, where Jewish life has been slowly rebuilding after the horror of the Holocaust, that day was a stark reminder that Jewish safety can never be taken for granted.

Since October 7th, 2023, people may smile, but the shadow of last year’s terror still hangs over them. They are living but also remembering.

For many Jews in the diaspora, the events of October 7th felt like a direct assault on their identity. I also felt this way. Israel is NOT just another country. It is the embodiment of historical survival, a homeland where Jewish life and culture can flourish freely. When Israel is under attack, it feels personal, even for those living thousands of miles away. In Berlin, New York, Paris, or Buenos Aires, Jews found themselves glued to their phones and televisions, watching with a mix of helplessness and fear as Israel faced yet another existential threat.

The feeling of being stuck on October 7th, 2023, isn’t just about grief; it’s about fear. This day reopened deep fears about security as well as about survival. It was a reminder that the conflict is not a distant memory but a reality that can come crushing back at any moment. The threat of rockets and fear of attacks—these are not just abstract ideas; they are lived experiences.

For Jewish families in Germany, especially for those who have sought to rebuild their lives and reclaim their Jewish identity in a country with a painful past, the connection to Israel is strong and alive, as well as deep and emotional. I personally noticed over the past year that parents worried about sending their children to Jewish schools, community leaders had to bolster security around synagogues, and many found themselves confronting an old fear—that their safety could never be fully guaranteed.

What makes this moment even more profound is the shared nature of the trauma.

Almost every Israeli knows someone who was affected by the violence of October 2023—whether it's a family member, a friend, or a colleague. The entire nation feels bound together by that moment, carrying the collective pain of a people who have endured too much loss.

It's not just about survival anymore; it's about the deep exhaustion of living in a country where the threat of violence never fully disappears.

One year later, Jewish people around the world are left wondering how to move forward. How do you build a future when the past is still so present?

For some, there is a yearning for peace stronger than ever before—a desire to find a way out of this cycle, to break free from the endless recurrence of violence. For others, the events of October 7th, 2023, have only deepened their resolve to protect their country at all costs, to ensure that such a day never happens again.

But the question remains: how do we move forward when time feels frozen? How do we heal when the wounds of October 7th, 2023, are still so deep? And when do they all COME HOME?

These are only some of the questions Jewish Israelis around the world deal with daily while searching for answers.

We remain hopeful, and we will fight till the very last hostage is brought home.

“The sun will shine soon,

we'll know better days than these.

The heart fights with worry;

everyone will return home.

The nation of Israel lives

if we will not forget always to be united.

The nation of Israel lives

during ascents and during declines, even during the hardest hours.”

~Eyal Golan in his song Am Israel Chai

I will forever stand by Israel and by those who dedicate their lives to the safety of our only Jewish state.

‏עם ישראל חי