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.

