DETROIT JEWISH NEWS
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MAY 9 • 2024 | 7
J
N

survivor of the Nova music fes-
tival massacre, bravely recount-
ed her story in that beautiful 
park near the Gaza border, the 
tears rolled down my face. But 
it was what she said a few min-
utes later, as she showed us her 
late boyfriend’s memorial there 
in Reim, that will live with me 
forever. We thanked her for 
courageously sharing her story 
and offered her our deepest 
sympathy, and Rafaela simply 
said, “Thank you. Each time I 
tell what happened, it is as if I 
sew myself back together, one 
tiny stitch at a time.
” 
Much has been written and 
will continue to be said about 
the power of memory, about 
the deep human experience of 
sharing, of the many oppor-
tunities to help another heal. 
Jewish tradition is built around 
communal experience, and 
many of the rituals of mourn-
ing and grief are to assist the 
mourner. Israel has embodied 
these learnings beginning on 
Oct. 7 and relentlessly continu-
ing each day since. 
The country is in pain; each 
person knows a hostage or 
someone murdered or injured 
or, of course. a citizen-soldier 
serving or having recently 
served in either Gaza or up 
north, facing the threat of 
Hezbollah from Lebanon, and 
all, of course, having endured 
the Iranian onslaught of hun-
dreds of drones and missiles.
It is clear not a single soul 
in the country is unaffected, 
nor has the threat or grief 
dissipated. Israelis continue to 
live their lives, and you hear 
laughter in the streets, with 
restaurants full of diners and 
other evidence of “normal” life. 
But just below the surface, you 
recognize the return to “nor-
mal” is just a very early scab 
easily reopened by a shared 
story, a quick news report, 
an overheard comment. The 

television commercials, the 
popular songs, the streets, the 
museums — all full of tributes, 
lyrics and art in honor and 
in memory of those direct-
ly affected by the past six 
months.
I can recall so many stories, 
so many people I heard from, 
met and talked with. From 
the badly injured soldiers to a 
young family who survived the 
attack at Kfar Aza but lost their 
parents in the massacre, to the 
mental health professionals, 
first responders, colleagues and 
friends. Their stories colored 
in the picture I had in my 
head, and I will carry it with 
me. And they each reiterated 
that sharing their story with 
all of us was not a burden, but 
rather a path to healing and, 
most importantly, a way to 
ensure that what they endured 
and are enduring will not be 
forgotten, nor dismissed as 
fiction. 
As I learned, so did my 
daughter. Noa saw and heard 
about the antisemitic acts of 
80+ years ago, and how while 
we remember those singular 
atrocities, we see the present. I 
saw the contemporary version 
of our recent history. And I 
realized something important: 
We as a people must continue 
to bear witness. We must go 
to Israel. We must listen. We 
must share what we heard, so 
that neither we, nor the world, 
will ever forget. 
So that 80 years after the 
destruction and depravity of 
Oct. 7, the children, grandchil-
dren and great-grandchildren 
can recall their family’s story, 
having the privilege of time 
to share pain and healing, 
destruction and rebirth. 
Am Yisrael Chai. 

Kari Alterman is the senior program 

officer for Jewish Life at the William 

Davidson Foundation.

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