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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