It’s October 7th today. It’s now been a year.

A year of navigating our way through the terrible October Rain. A year where we’ve been plunged into the darkness not knowing when we will see light again. A year of terror, destruction and war that Israel, the only democracy in the Middle East, didn’t want. Israel more than anything seeks peace and in doing so, continues to fight their enemies and defend itself from evil in this relentless battle against terrorism. As it should do, and especially after the October 7th massacre where 1200 precious, innocent, beautiful souls were slaughtered in the worst, most brutal attack on Jewish people since the Holocaust. Never again is now.

A year of despair not knowing if those hostages living in unimaginable terror are ever going to get out of there. All those people, young and old, babies, parents, grandparents, who lost their lives on that day or who were murdered in captivity. Those who have suffered and continue to suffer so much, those people who survived an unimaginable trauma I hope I would never have to go through in my lifetime, whether they were taken hostage and released. Or those who somehow miraculously escaped the terrorist attack and took refuge somewhere safe, but who lost loved ones, dear friends or family on that  day. All those families of the hostages still remaining who are suffering so much still…. I can’t imagine what they are going through – all I know is that as a parent myself, a year is too long to have to worry about the whereabouts of your child, knowing terrorists are harming them and not knowing when they will come home again alive. Not resting until they are home safe in your arms.

Bring them home now.

A year of still being shocked to my core by those people who choose to stand on the side of evil by standing against Israel and the peace it stands for. Not realising the sacrifices Israel is making for the West in eliminating the evil in the Middle East that threatens the security of Israel but also eventually, the security of the West. Even after the deadly missile attacks by Iran, knowing full well they are behind all the attacks on Israel and are determined to wipe Israel off the map – and all the Jews off the planet too if they have their way. Still frustrated after a year that there are still so many ignorant people – even after so much truth has been put out there – who prefer to be sucked into the lies and Jew hate instead.

A year of getting my head around how the Jewish people who have suffered so much trauma can bring so much light to the world. The courage of the Holocaust survivors who are suffering now as they didn’t imagine they would witness another one in their lifetime. The courage of the Nova survivors to tell their story to the world about what they endured. The brave, young soldiers who left their families to fight in the war not knowing if they are going to come out of it alive. The grief of all those families, those children who are learning to live now without their mum or dad, or neither parent. Those people who were torn apart on that awful day and lost their entire families. I still can’t believe that such evil exists on this planet. At a peace festival. How could this be.

A year of discovering how antisemitic the world is and has become, how broken it is, how much repair (aka “Tikkun Olam” as the Jewish people call it), is needed to be able to live our lives in peace and joy free from hate, intolerance and threats and acts of terrorism on our streets.

A year of holding onto hope that Israel can bring more light upon the nations of the world despite all that has happened. Of hoping that Israel and the Jewish people can persuade all those who are against them that they have gotten it all wrong and not to believe all the lies and propaganda in the press and social media.

A year of remembering who I am as a Jewish person and continually having to remind myself that the light shines brightest in the dark. Of looking up to the light when all I see is darkness around me. Always looking to the light for inspiration and hope where possible even when it’s so very dark and grim💛

A year of living my truth boldly, holding my head high, and being proud of who I am ✡️

Enough is enough! Stop the hate. Stop the ugly antisemitism.

A year of holding onto hope and praying that Israel can destroy the evil that has been bestowed upon them once and for all knowing that G-d is behind us.

A year of hoping for good to prevail in the name of humanity, for love, kindness and peace.

A year of discovering and appreciating how incredible Israel is, despite how tiny a country it is, despite how much trauma they have had to endure over the past year. They display such resilience, beauty and authentic love for their people, and have achieved so much in its lifetime since it’s creation in 1948.

A year of enlightenment, of realising that despite the atrocities of this year, in ways I can’t yet comprehend, that G-d is with us doing his best to protect us from the evil that is on our planet right now.

A year of rediscovering my faith in G-d and being grateful for the incredible people and light workers from all faiths around me that I have met along the way who stand in solidarity with the light of who I am, my Jewish light. I’m so humbled that despite the haters and demonic evil, there are many good people of all beliefs and religions who unite and pray for us with compassion for all that our people are going through, and the sacrifices Israel is making for the sake of humanity.

A year of building communities and fostering close connections with people of all faiths. Of finding new creative ways of sharing the truth of what Israel stands for. Although Jews have been mostly affected by the massacre and war in Israel, Israel is the home for Muslims and Christians too, and over the past year, multi-ethnic bonds between communities have strengthened within Israel and all over the world.

As well as this, Jewish communities all over the world have been doing what they can to help, raising awareness of Israel’s plight, spreading the truth and giving comfort to those who are suffering in the way of marches, rallies, vigils, advocacy work and fundraising to support the victims and relieve suffering  – collectively doing all we can to support Israel at its time of need and more importantly, doing our best to raise awareness of and sharing the joy and light of who we are as Jewish people, to make sure this never ever happens again and at the same time, strengthening our community even more.

We are the Jewish people, and we aren’t going anywhere!!! We are just as human as everyone else and have every right to live peacefully on this planet. Any Jewish person alive today is a walking miracle, and over the past year, I really do believe this and am so grateful for all the values I hold that make us who we are, the special traditions we have, and moreover the love we have for life and bringing ourselves joy. I cannot be prouder of my Jewish roots, more than ever before.

A year of discovering who I am now that my core beliefs have been exposed, and finding out who my true friends really are – those who care for me are the ones I have to focus on right now. Let them hate. Let them be who they are because I know I’m on the right side of history.

To conclude, I thought I would share some wisdom from late Rabbi Jonathan Sacks which sums up what Judaism, and Zionism too, is all about:

“Judaism was the first religion in history to place love at the heart of the spiritual life: Love the Lord your God with all your heart, all your soul and all your might. Love your neighbour. Love the stranger. And what we love most — because that is where G-d is to be found — is life itself. That is our greatest strength. It enabled our ancestors to survive every persecution. It helped Holocaust survivors to survive. It gave the Jewish people the courage to rebuild the land and state of Israel.”

He said it plainly, “We just ask for life. That is what Judaism is: a life of love and a love of life. All the rest is commentary.”

It’s been a long year. Light has to prevail.