Blogging in Wartime: Starting Again

October 7th was a seismic event that leaves scars that last a lifetime. Hamas killed 1200+ in the worst Jewish massacre since the Shoah, rape on an industrial scale, and seizure of 251 hostages. We could hardly comprehend the totality of the loss, the existential threat to Israel, and the enormous challenges ahead.*

As the 7-front war funded and orchestrated by Iran has grinds, we have witnessed miracles and wonders. At the same time, we have experienced unspeakable sorrow. Although Israel is home to over 10 million souls, every loss is felt personally and we all grieve together. We take comfort in the Jewish tradition that has preserved us through nearly 6000 years.

For those outside Israel it is hard to reconcile the two sides of this insoluble equation we call everyday life. We have sought a sense of normalcy while also focusing on volunteer efforts on the home front. Most of all we have worked to keep the innocent hostages in the forefront of our minds. Every hamlet, town and city maintains multiple memorials, a few of which are shared below from my town Zichron Ya’akov:

For my part there are still many moments when I feel paralyzed by grief. For several weeks after October 7th I was unable to play piano – one of my great joys. While I got back to work (and launched a new company), I have not been blogging.

I was just too sad.

Somehow my feelings of shock and grief froze that part of me. I am not sure entirely why when I have been able to return to the piano. Part of it may be magical thinking on my part. I hoped that somehow things would fall back into place. Then everything would feel normal again and I would resume blogging. That is obviously not going to happen.

So I am once again falling back on Radical Acceptance. I am trying to accept my ongoing sadness 5 minutes at a time. It is a part of my identity as a Jew and as an Israeli. So I am just going to give it a go. I will try to post again on a more regular basis going forward.

Thank you for being here on this journey with me.

*Nor did we imagine the well-funded, global attack on Israel’s very right to exist, orchestrated on campuses and the media. The media front of the war launched on October 7th, accusing Israel of genocide while Hamas butchery was in progress.