Last Monday was October 7, and it marked the one year anniversary of the terrorist attack and massacre against the Jews by Hamas. In the early morning of that day, Hamas, a terrorist group, invaded Israel’s borders and bombarded kibbutzim and the Nova Festival, slaughtering and kidnapping hundreds of people. The attack Hamas committed was inhumane and was against people of all ages, religions, ethnicities, and genders. Over 1,200 people were killed and 250 people were abducted into Gaza. In fact, 101 hostages, some confirmed to be dead by the IDF, are still being held captive in Gaza in terrible and unimaginable conditions.
We go to Shulamith High School of Long Island and we are very proud to tell you about the hours of work and effort that our school put into creating a beautiful and powerful memorial and program for October 7. It commemorated the atrocities that afflicted our nation, Am Yisrael, a year ago. Our school is one of the only schools that completely transformed almost every part of our building into a memorial for October 7 this year.
In order to fill the school with different components commemorating October 7, each grade in our high school was given a specific project to create, reflecting on one area each from October 7. The 9th graders were given these posters resembling dog tags and each 9th grade student was assigned a soldier that passed away, sacrificing his/her life. On the front of the “dog tag,” a picture of a soldier was placed, and on the back each student wrote about the soldier they were given and a lesson we can all learn from the soldier and the legacy the soldier left behind. The “dog tag” posters were all hung up on the ceilings of each floor with strings that resembled the string of a “bring them home” dog tag necklace.
We’re in 10th grade and our grade was given blank foldable stands. Each 10th grader was assigned one or two hostages to research and learn more about. On one side of the stand, we wrote the hostage’s name and a picture of the hostage. On the back of the stand, we added from our research about the hostage, like his/her family and their hobbies, in addition to writing a life lesson we can learn from the hostage. These stands were intended to resemble the posters of the hostages in the Ben Gurion airport. Everyone took their time and decorated their stands in a way that really brought out who each hostage individually is.
The 11th graders learned about displaced families from the South and North and they had to come up with an item to represent the family. For example, one group brought in a suitcase filled with clothing to show how that family was constantly on the move. Another group created a home key and a hotel key. The hotel key was larger in size to show how that family no longer uses their home key. This is the life they are living now. The 12th graders were each given empty canvases and were told: Fill the canvas however you would like with what October 7 means to you.
All the projects that were made focused on different parts of October 7. The 9th grade gave the chayalim the recognition they deserve for their courageous work and sacrifices that they made for our nation. Our grade, 10th grade, showed everyone including themselves that these hostages are people just like us. We showed how these hostages have families who love them so dearly and are waiting for them to return. We emphasized who they are and made everyone truly understand that they must come home NOW. The 11th grade highlighted the difficulty that displaced families have to deal with and educated everyone on the matter. The 12th grade let their thoughts be expressed on canvases for everyone to see and think about.
In addition to the grade projects, a memorial wall was also created, displaying the six hostages who were recently killed by Hamas in captivity. May their memories be a revolution!
These projects that every grade worked on ended up serving as an education about the massacre that occurred on October 7, as well as a memorial and reminder to never forget what happened on that difficult day.
Not only did each girl from each grade create their own project in memoriam of the events that occurred and the people affected by the October 7 massacre, but there were many programs held throughout the course of the day. These programs were both to remember what happened on October 7, to discuss the effects the terrible massacre had on all the people of Bnei Yisrael, including each girl in the school, and to uplift and showcase the emunah of Klal Yisrael through an inspiring story of a chayal followed by a kumzitz.
The first program was our tekes where teachers and students alike spoke about October 7. First, Principal Munk shared the stories of three heroes from October 7. One of the heroes was Avichayil Reuven, an Ethiopian soldier. Gali Eylon, another hero of October 7, is a girl from Kfar Aza who ran an entire command center from her phone. The third hero who Principal Munk spoke about was Aner Shapira, who caught grenades thrown by Hamas, saving the lives of many people.
Next, the entire school split up into rooms to debrief and to discuss the ways October 7 affected them and impacted their emunah in Hashem. All the students got to speak to their teachers about their thoughts and what was on their minds after the powerful tekes they had just had. The teachers started off posing a question: “How does everyone here feel about it being one year after October 7? Is your emunah in Hashem stronger because of the events that occurred or weaker?” Each girl took a turn sharing her opinion on the matter. Many girls stated how much their emunah has grown watching the achdus among Bnei Yisrael, and others shared how the myriad of miracles that have occurred since October 7 taught them to believe more than they ever did before.
Finally the entire school gathered together for an inspirational kumzitz with soldier Eli Skaist and his wife Shani.
We sang powerful songs together with Eli and Shani while they shared their stories with us. Eli shared his experience being called up to fight on October 7 and Shani shared her experience as a wife of a soldier on duty living on a kibbutz. They shared what happened on the morning of the attack, how hard it was for the families in Israel for their husbands to be at war, and the way their community came together to support all the families.
Shani said, “The children were the real heroes. They took care of the kibbutz, cooked meals, and watched each other when there was no school; they were helping us all.” This was incredibly moving as it showed how young children, the ages of many of the students in our school, went above and beyond to help in a trying time, and it showed how even children of high school age could make such a big difference in someone’s life. It was both difficult and inspiring to hear these personal stories regarding the tragedies committed on October 7. This is because although the stories were sad at times and were of great hardship, there were many great things that came out of it. And despite all the troubles, the people of Israel still live on. It was so impactful that after the kumzitz many students went up to Eli and Shani to express their gratitude towards them and share with them how inspiring and meaningful their stories were to hear.
One main thing that really stood out to us during our school program were the hostages. After walking past all of the hostages’ stands, we were able to see how much we can relate to them. Their hobbies are similar to our hobbies. Their love for their families is like the love we have for our families. Things we enjoy are some of the same things they enjoy. We are like them and they are like us. They are people just like us. They deserve to be remembered, davened for, and most importantly, to be brought back home now.
There were so many people that worked so hard to make all the programs and components of the memorial come to life. Both the program and memorial helped us all understand the critical importance of remembering the hostages and all that has happened in Israel in the past year. Esty Munk, Mrs. Naomi Munk, and the entire Israel club (which we are so proud to be a part of) really put in a ton of effort and gave it their all, and in the end it really showed. We feel that the memorial displayed in our school for October 7 played a crucial role in educating everyone on the importance of the day, and we are proud to be part of a school that cares so much about Israel and its people. No one who went to SHS on that day will ever forget October 7, 2023.
