Our Love Will Rebuild

This summer, I was privileged to teach and study at the only Reform Jewish Day School in Australia. I learned a lot about this interesting, vibrant, Zionist Jewish community on the other side of the world, and I’m very grateful for this experience — especially this year.

One of the programs at the school where I worked was students raising money to support Israel and Israelis by selling rubber bracelets that say, “Our Love Will Rebuild.” It reminded me why my work is so important, and why our love must be bigger than hate.

October 7^th changed everyone’s lives, and it didn’t skip me. The tragedy and loss made me think a lot about myself, my life, my Judaism and the way I perceive our existence on this planet. I chose a career as an educator in order to build bridges or, for the sake of a better metaphor, to plant trees, rather than putting out fires. The horrible day of October 7^th, beneath all the despair, made me realize that my job is my calling, and that I have to help spread love, rather than indoctrinating hate.

Linor, a friend of mine from my IDF service was massacred at the NOVA Festival, and she devoted herself to spreading love. I think about her a lot, how she would be today, what she would do, how she’ll find ways to spread her magical smile and intoxicating energy. Now, we’ll never know.

We will soon mark a year since that dark Shabbat. During that year, we felt everything all at once. We’re still rebuilding, trying to collect the pieces and put them back together. It takes time, a lot of time, especially when we’re waiting and praying with all the power we have for the return of the 101 hostages locked up in terror tunnels underneath Gaza. In times like these, our love, our togetherness, our community — those are the things we need to hold onto tightly and not let go.

On my flight back to Washington DC, I listened to the song “Imagine” by Shlomo Artzi. He sings:

Imagine to yourselves a beautiful world,
Not as sad as it is,
And us walking there, with the sun in our pockets
Imagine to yourselves a beautiful world,
A simple world,
Imagine to yourselves a little bit of happiness

I looked out the window, thinking about the year that is about to start, imagining, praying for two things: 101 of my brothers and sisters back home, and that beautiful world Shlomo is talking about.

Shanah Tovah,

Snir