On October 7, 2023, the world changed for Israel. In one brutal morning, 251 Israelis were abducted and dragged into the terror tunnels of Gaza. It wasn’t just a military failure, it was a national trauma. Over the next two years, 168 hostages were released alive. The rest were either murdered during the massacre or died in captivity. The final 20 hostages were freed on October 13, 2025 in a deal brokered by the United States. In the days and weeks following the massacre, the

My son is serving 90 days of reserve duty on Israel’s northern border with Lebanon. Last week, he asked us if we could prepare meals for his 70 soldiers for the holiday of Simchat Torah. We didn’t hesitate. Since the October 7 massacre, our town has been cooking for reservists every week – sometimes over 1,000 meals. Seventy was easy. My wife, the logistical mastermind, coordinated the effort, and we drove the food up to his base in Zarit. Zarit straddles the Lebanese border.

Two years have passed since October 7, 2023, the day that shattered Israel’s sense of security and forced a complete reassessment of our...