24 | OCTOBER 26 • 2023 J
N
I
n the direct aftermath of
the deadliest day of terror, a
little beam of light brought
comfort and joy to a family
in Israel. On day two of the
terrorist attacks on Israel, a
bris took place at the home of
Talya and Ben Jaffe in Kiryat
Gat, just 20 minutes away from
Sderot. A tangible reminder that
despite the horrors that we have
endured and continue to endure,
the Jewish people survive and
live on — and will continue to
live on. There is always hope for
the future.
First-time grandparents Susie
and Ed Kresch of Jerusalem
were longtime Oak Park res-
idents who made aliyah in
October 2022, along with Susie’s
mother, Lenore Salomon, 88.
Safta Susie shared that orig-
inally a big party had been
planned for the bris, but because
of the war, it was changed to
immediate family only. Great-
grandma Lenore could not
attend because terrorists were
still suspected of roaming the
streets. She nonetheless dressed
up and joined via FaceTime.
Susie and Ed’s son David,
currently an exchange student in
Berkeley, California, joined the
bris through WhatsApp. Their
oldest son, Max, 27, a medic in
the IDF, had been immediately
deployed on Saturday, but he
was also able to call in for some
of the bris.
“The bris was beautiful,” said
Susie emotionally. “There were
so many mixed emotions, it’s
overwhelming … but when I
look at our sweet little grand-
son, I know that he and all our
precious future generations
are the reasons we, our people,
must be strong, put our minds
above our broken hearts and
do whatever we can to help our
heroic soldiers stamp out evil so
the survivors of this sickening
terrorist massacre can begin to
heal. So that we can also once
again begin to heal.”
The baby was named Yonaton
Pinchas, after both his maternal
great-grandfathers.
“Yonatan in honor of Ed’s dad,
Ben Kresch. Yonatan means
thankful for what God has given
… Zaida had just come out of
the Holocaust and was so grate-
ful to have a family,” explained
Susie. “Pinchas was named for
my dad, Talya’s grandpa Pinky
who she loved dearly.”
Susie and Ed had been to
Israel countless times over the
years before they moved but had
never experienced anything like
this.
“We had a shalom zachor on
Friday night, Oct. 6, but then —
along with the rest of the coun-
try — we woke up to sirens six
hours later,” Susie shared. “This
was the first time I ever person-
ally ran to a bomb shelter. It was
loud and close. We could see the
Iron Dome at work. The rockets
were exploding in the air just
outside our window.”
Since the rockets and sirens
were constant, the family spent
most of the Shabbot/Simchat
Torah holiday in the shelter.
Susie said, “We were in our
own little bubble. We couldn’t
even begin to comprehend
the unimaginable horror that
was taking place. We just
thought whatever it was would
be over soon … The country
has endured sirens and rocket
attacks, even terrorist attacks
on individuals and families.
Each time, we mourn and move
on with a piece of our heart
chipped away, but this has been
beyond human comprehension.”
When asked about her son in
the army, Susie tearfully shared,
“I’m so proud of him and all
the courageous IDF soldiers
defending our country, but it is
painfully hard for the moms of
soldiers … We thought we were
done with all those sleepless
nights from when Max was in
A
Light
in the
Darkness
OUR COMMUNITY
A child’s bris is a reminder
that there is hope for
the future.
ROCHEL BURSTYN CONTRIBUTING WRITER
Four generations of
Israelis: Safta Susie Kresch
(top), great-grandma
Lenore Salomon, Talya
Jaffe (middle), Aunt Atara
Kresch, all holding baby
Yonatan Pinchas.