10/07/2026
Dear TKA Family,
Tomorrow marks three years since October 7.
It is hard to believe that three years have passed since the horrific attacks that changed Israel and the Jewish world. So much has happened since then, and yet for many of us, October 7 does not feel like something that happened three years ago. The images, the stories, the names and faces, and the pain of that day remain very close.
Tomorrow, I hope you will take a moment to remember. You might light a yahrzeit candle, say a prayer, or simply pause and think about the lives that were lost and the families forever changed. However you choose to mark the day, don't let it pass like just another date on the calendar.
I've also been reading some reflections as we approach the anniversary, and I wanted to share three that I found especially meaningful:
Rabbi Josh Weinberg, “Where Are We, Three Years Later?”
Weinberg begins with God's question to Adam: Ayekha?—“Where are you?” It is a good question for us three years later. Where are we as Jews? Where are we in our relationship with Israel, with our Jewish community, and with one another? I appreciated that he doesn't pretend there are easy answers.
Read “Where Are We, Three Years Later?” https://reformjudaism.org/blog/where-are-we-three-years-later
Yishai Goldflam, “How Will We Remember October 7?”
This one asks a question that has stayed with me: What will October 7 mean to Jews one hundred years from now? We are usually the recipients of Jewish memory. With October 7, we are the ones who will help determine what future generations remember. I found that idea both powerful and challenging.
Read “How Will We Remember October 7?” https://www.hillel.org/how-will-we-remember-october-7
Rabbi Hanna Yerushalmi, “Poems of Sorrow and Hope”
Sometimes poetry can say what an essay cannot. These poems reflect on October 7, the hostages, the people and communities we lost, and the challenge of holding onto hope. I was especially struck by the reminder that those who were murdered deserve to be remembered not only for how they died, but for how they lived.
Read “Poems of Sorrow and Hope” https://reformjudaism.org/blog/poems-sorrow-and-hope
Three years later, I don't know that any of us has figured out exactly how to carry October 7. Maybe we aren't supposed to.
But we can remember. We can tell the stories. We can continue to stand with Israel while praying for a future of peace and security for Israelis and Palestinians. And we can continue to show up for one another and for the Jewish community.
May the memories of those murdered on October 7 be for a blessing, and may we see a day when families throughout the region no longer have to bury their children because of war and hatred.
Am Yisrael Chai,
Rabbi Schneider
