One year later – October 7th: A terrible day, a tragic year”

AND IT CONTINUES – Exactly one year ago, on the morning of the seventh of October, we woke up to the harsh reality. The State of Israel was subjected to an unprecedented attack by the vile terrorist organization Hamas.

It can’t be October 7th yet because the hostages are not at home and the families continue to be stuck in the unknown hell of life after October 7th. Soldiers are still fighting in Gaza and now in northern Israel.

That’s all I can think about – it’s been in my head all day for almost 365 days. I want to stop time. We are not ready for that.

On October 7th I was in Boston with my family visiting my aunt. Jet lag woke me up at 3 a.m. Boston time, and as I looked at my phone, push notifications kept me awake about all the horrors happening in Israel, where the travesties of the Hamas attack were in full swing.

Thousands of people are still displaced from their homes. Too many mothers, fathers, brothers, sisters and friends sit and wait for their loved ones to return from the front, hoping that they are not another number.

I thought things had changed by now. A year later we were hoping for so much more, so much better. But here we are – one year after the terrorist attacks that rocked our world – and so many things are still unfinished.

How can it almost be October 7th, 2024 when my world is frozen in many ways at 6:29 am on October 7th, 2023.

I am exhausted and I believe there is a collective exhaustion of the community. The burden of the past year weighs heavily on our shoulders, with no sign of relief. There is a collective fatigue in the Jewish community – and beyond – that gives the impression that we are still trapped in the tragedy of last year and unable to move forward.

I failed. Our leaders have failed. Their leaders have failed. And the world turned upside down.

We didn’t manage to get everyone home. We have failed to find peace. We failed to protect the innocent. We have failed to prevent the loss of so many lives on all sides. And as we’re about to relive that terrible date, I can’t help but think: What do we do differently? Where is the change we so desperately need?

Israel’s civil society shone in the country’s darkest hour, but with the war continuing with no clear end or even an end goal in sight and over 100 people still held hostage by Hamas, healing and rebirth are not possible.

The country cannot move on and cannot heal or move forward without bringing the hostage home. It is a complete breach of the most fundamental contract between a country and its citizens, and a country that has broken that contract cannot simply move on.

The Israeli leadership has failed its people and taken no responsibility or responsibility for this failure. People can only do so much to make life good in the country without leadership taking responsibility and acting decisively for the good of the citizens.

We must reflect and mourn, yes. But we also have to act. We must demand that our leaders deliver on their promises.

We must support the families of the hostages with all possible resources. We must ensure that those displaced are not forgotten. We must come together to provide IDF soldiers with the support they need in the field, but also when they return home with the care they need for their recovery. As Diaspora Jews, we must continue to be at the forefront of the war against anti-Semitism, while our brothers and sisters fight the war on the front lines with Gaza, northern Israel and other countries.

(Mihran Kalaydjian has more than twenty years of experience in public affairs, government relations, legislative affairs, public policy, community relations, and strategic communications. He is a community leader and a committed activist for civic engagement in education, having led numerous academic initiatives in of local politics forums.)