A symbiotic relationship

I remember waking up on 7 October 2023, 307 days ago, to my phone pinging with messages about what was happening in Israel. My colleagues and I, who rarely have reason to talk on weekends, began WhatsApping each other non-stop as we needed to share our fear, horror, and worry about the information coming our way from Israel.

None of us were able to resume our Shabbos or our weekend. I’m sure that most Jews around the world had very similar experiences. And, to date, while we all live the lives we have always lived, nothing has gone back to normal for us.

Though we may be about 6 000 kilometres away from Israel, the heartbreak and devastation of that day felt like it happened right here because it seemed way to close to home – and I don’t mean in distance.

When we heard of the atrocities that Hamas terrorists perpetrated on those living on the Gaza border, it was as if it had happened to our own family. The horror, the shock, the initial disbelief! It hit home to this community in a way that was almost surreal because it was so real to us, but almost irrelevant to the rest of the country. The rest of South Africa went on as usual, which was bizarre because, as Jews, our lives were massively altered.

For months, most of us were almost addicted to our phones as we watched and read as much as we possibly could about what was happening in Israel. We simply couldn’t get enough of it because we needed to be a part of it even though we were thousands of kilometres away. When we heard what happened to young women, it was as if it was our sisters or daughters. And we all felt the pain of having loved ones dragged off into captivity and not being able to contact them. And we still feel anguish for those who are still there, and for their families (see page 3).

As Israel went into Gaza to make sure that Hamas could never again do what it did on 7 October, and to try and get the hostages back, we braced ourselves for the fallout. We worried that there would be backlash against Jews around the world as soon as Israel retaliated. And it happened with a vengeance!

We felt it. We still feel it.

Then, three terrorist leaders were assassinated in the past week or so, and Iran, Hamas, and Hezbollah threatened massive retaliation. Although Israel has accepted responsibility for only one of these assassinations, the leaders of world terrorism blamed Israel and threatened revenge.

And we know they aren’t just threatening. So, Israelis, all our families living in Israel, Jews around the world, and those of us in South Africa are bracing ourselves for retaliation. We’re holding our individual and communal breath for what will happen.

We know it’s just a matter of time. What we don’t know is what will happen, how bad it will be, how long it will take and, worst of all, what harm will be done to Israel. Suffice to say, the stress is mounting, and while Israelis are doing their best to continue as normal, I’m not sure how that’s possible.

I guess, we can’t actually know what it feels like to be in Israel right now, but Israel and the Jewish world have an incredible symbiotic relationship. And so, we go in for yet another night of light sleep and worry as we wait for this inevitable retaliation.

Meanwhile, the Israeli team came home from the Olympic Games in Paris bringing a record number of six medals with it. Windsurfer Tom Reuveny brought home gold, while in the women’s division, Sharon Kantor, whose dad is South African, won a silver medal. These medals were the first for Israel in windsurfing since 2008. And Reuveny’s gold is Israel’s fourth ever gold at the Olympic Games. Kantor is the first woman surfer to win an Olympic medal for Israel.

Artistic gymnast Artem Dolgopyat took second place in the finals, barely losing to Carlos Yulo from the Philippines. Then, there were the three Israeli judoku: Raz Hershko and Inbar Lanir, who both won silver, and Peter Palchik who won bronze.

Not for one moment did Israel’s sports champs forget who they were and where they came from. As Reuveny told Channel 12 after winning gold, “I did it for our brave soldiers!”

Reuveny’s brother is a combat soldier fighting for Israel, and the sports hero admitted that over the past nine months, it hasn’t been easy to focus on training for the Olympics.

“It was so hard to train while everyone else was crying over lost people, dead people. I still had to put my head down and keep training, and it’s all for this moment,” Reuveny told Reuters after he won.

Due to security concerns, the six Israeli medallists weren’t even able to participate in the medal presentations in front of the Eiffel Tower. The delegation was under the highest level of protection in the wake of threats of violence.

News of their achievement lifted spirits in Israel, however, as the nation waits for the expected attack.

“You made an entire nation happy, a nation at war that’s praying for the return of its hostages. You brought us a great light,” Israeli President Isaac Herzog told the team before it left France. “Thank you on behalf of an entire nation that was so moved. I salute you, and I think I speak for the entire Israeli public which salutes you.”

And as my colleague said after interviewing Kantor and her family this week, “Isn’t it weird how it feels like she’s one of us – like family! It’s bizarre being Jewish sometimes.” I know exactly what she means. We all do. We’re all family, a slightly dysfunctional, argumentative, hot-headed, interesting, and wonderful family!

May Israel and all our people survive the upcoming onslaught!

Shabbat shalom!

Peta Krost

Editor