Today in St. Louis marked a somber anniversary as the Jewish community commemorated the trauma and loss stemming from the conflict between Israel and Hamas that began on October 7, 2023. One year on, residents reflect on the chilling morning when over 1,200 lives were lost in a Hamas attack and more than 250 individuals were taken hostage. "Well, it was 6:30 in the morning, so I remember waking up and my husband saying, Karen, there's a war in Israel, and we were supposed to leave for Israel five days later," Karen Sher of the Jewish Federation of St. Louis recounted in a statement obtained by KSDK.
The impact of these events stretches into local homes, like that of the Nelsons, an interfaith family in St. Louis County. "It’s been interesting," Eric Nelson, who is Jewish, shared in an interview with First Alert 4. The conflict, which has claimed the lives of more than 41,000 individuals in Gaza alone, has personal resonances for many like Nelson, with relatives in the region affected by bomb shelters and personal loss.
In the aftermath, the amplification of global hate has become a stark reality, with about 10,000 anti-Semitic incidents reported over the past year according to the Anti-Defamation League. "There's fighting hate, which we have to do, calling out hate, and then there's actively, proactively, intentionally doing good, spreading positivity. And I think if there ever was a time that our world needed that, it is now," Rabbi Chaim Landa urged in his statement to KSDK.
This year's Rosh Hashanah in Israel was marred by aggression as Iran launched at least 180 ballistic missiles towards the nation, provoking a stern response from Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. "The regime of Iran does not understand our determination to defend ourselves. They will understand. We will stand by the rule we established: Whoever attacks, we will attack them," Netanyahu declared according to reports by First Alert 4.
The Jewish Light sought reflections from the local community about the enduring impact of today, October 7, revealing a spectrum of influenced lives. For some, it is a direct connection to the lost or the taken, while for others, it's a collective bruise on the soul of a people, a shared history of violence resurfacing yet again. "How have the events of Oct. 7 changed or impacted your life?" was a query that yielded expressions of grief, resilience, and a commitment to remember, as noted by St. Louis Jewish Light.
