10/07/2026
There was a Jewish world before October 7, 2023. And there is the world we have lived in since, “the after.”
Three years ago today, on Shemini Atzeret and Simchat Torah, a day meant for celebration became a day of tragedy and unimaginable loss. In an instant, “the before” disappeared.
Rachel Goldberg-Polin has spoken of her own life in these terms: “The Before” and “The After.” Before her son, Hersh Goldberg-Polin, was taken hostage on October 7. And after. It is a distinction that resonates far all of the Jewish community and its allies.
Three years later, we continue to carry the lives lost, the families and nation forever changed, and the wounds that remain.
At JCH, we are adding a leaf to the Tree of Eternal Life in memory of those who perished on October 7. “May their souls be bound in the bond of life.”
In the afterword to When We See You Again, Jon Goldberg-Polin writes of his son Hersh:
“We are determined to make your tragic death … a compass to guide our remaining moments here.”
For us at the JCH that is part of our work in this “after”: to help our community find their compass by creating spaces where people can learn, celebrate, wrestle with difficult questions, build relationships, and know that they belong.
Together we strengthen Jewish life and Jewish learning for the generations that follow us and meet the moment with generating deeper connections, providing greater care, and inspiring acts of kindness.
May the memories of all those lost be a blessing. May their souls be bound in the bond of life. And may their lives, not deaths, continue to be a compass for how we live ours.
Photo of our memorial leaf unveiling in a service with Holocaust Survivors from our community who are living testimonials of life before and after.
