Just over a year ago, on October 7th, 2023, Hamas terrorists launched a brutal attack on Israel, killing thousands of people and taking 251 hostages. This attack occurred during Simchat Torah, a Jewish holiday meant for celebration. In the days that followed, the Seattle Jewish community, like many others, began to grieve, process, and respond.
The impact of October 7th is still deeply felt throughout the Seattle Jewish community. For some, the pain is personal, as they were in Israel during the attack. Sienna Rousso, a senior at Seattle Academy, was in Jerusalem for Simchat Torah as part of the Alexander Muss study abroad program. On the morning of October 7th, at 8:15 am, she was abruptly awakened by the sound of bomb sirens, followed quickly by her counselors urgently directing her and her peers to seek shelter.
She explained that very few people could understand what she had experienced when she returned home, making it difficult to find support. “It was hard because nobody knew what I was going through other than the people that were there with me,” said Rousso.
Gabe Ekshtut, a freshman at Northwest Yeshiva High School, was also in Israel at this time last year. He says even through all of the pain and suffering, a negative narrative continues to be cast on the Jewish people. “It’s really sad that we still haven’t gotten back all the hostages, and we don’t know what’s happening with them… and we still look like the bad guys from a lot of people’s perspectives,” he said.
To commemorate October 7th this year, the Seattle Jewish community came together in multiple ways. NYHS hosted a day of learning where rabbis, Jewish educators and leaders from the Seattle area led students in topics ranging from text study to philosophical debates. “My group talked about being humble but also knowing your worth,” said Arella Tabakin-Manore, a sophomore. “It was really meaningful to me.” After the various learning sessions, the students reconvened for a closing address by Rabbi Moshe Kletenik, head of Seattle’s Beth Din (rabbinical court).
NYHS’s approach to commemorating October 7th focused on honoring the lives lost through learning and conversation rather than directly reflecting on the events of that day and the past year. That same evening, Temple de Hirsch Sinai hosted a commemorative ceremony that took the opposite approach, reflecting on the day’s events and the year that followed. The evening started with songs led by musician Josh Niheas and Rabbi Daniel Weiner. Rabbi Weiner then delivered a speech, emphasizing the importance of not allowing grief to turn into paralysis and speaking out against injustice. The Consulate General of Israel to the Pacific Northwest, Marco Sermoneta, spoke in a video address presented at the ceremony. He called attention to the alarming lack of genuine support and honesty from some of Israel’s allies. “Silence was terrible [before October 7th] then, but the moral confusion we see now is worse,” said Sermoneta.
As 97 hostages remain in Gaza, the Seattle Jewish community continues to navigate these challenging times. The Seattle Jewish community continues to stand firm in resilience; many find comfort in knowing that brighter days lie ahead. “I know that we will win in the end, and everything that God throws at us is for the good in the end,” said Ekshtut.
