An Unbroken Faith

New Day Will Rise, by Simcha Leiner

A New Day Will Rise: Finding hope in my journey through October 7. Holding onto the light, but nevertheless a story of pain, tears, and desperation, but also of resilience. Rising from the shadows, there is a true legacy; Stories of our heroes that should not be forgotten: Remembering October 7.

Honor and remembrance are built not just on the memory of raw pain and tragedy, but also on the enduring strength and resilience of those who live through them.

Life goes on, the pain fades into a dull ache. It was that day that changed our world forever, in ways I cannot describe. The melody of "New Day Will Rise" carries a heavy truth; history is marked by this day that fractured our lives, into a before and after, and inflicted very deep cuts into our souls. The true legacy of that horrific day is found in a unwavering and true unity.

This is a story of unimaginable pain, but also that of a nation that held onto the light, when the world went dark.

The original song, New Day Will Rise, (Kol Isha) was Israel's powerful entry for Eurovision 2025, performed by Yuval Raphael who herself is an October 7 survivor of The Super Nova Music Festival massacre. Here is her story

A year before, Eurovision 2024, Eden Golan was to perform "October Rain" a powerful song written to bring the hostages home, and in memory of Shauli Greenglick and Sagi Idan who fell in the Gaza war, defending their homeland and people. The world looked away, while the commity demanded to change the title... "October Rain" became "Hurricane" (Kol Isha). But the truth of the words couldn't be erased. To hear the raw depth of our mourning, listen to Shulem Lemmer, a cry for the souls we lost and a voice for the entire nation.

October Rain 

It is heartbreaking to remember how full of life the 1,200 victims were just moments before that horrific, cruel, and evil attack. The worst attack on the Jewish people since the Holocaust. On this day, October 7, 2023 thousands of young people gathered at the Super Nova Music Festival, near Kibbutz Re'im. While families in most Kibbutzim were getting ready for Simchas Torah.

Families like Yarden and Shiri Bibas were simply at home with their two little boys in Kibbutz Nir Oz, surrounded by the quiet comfort of a normal morning, until...within hours, those ordinary lives were shattered. While it is impossible to fully capture the sheer, breathless terror of that day, the world watched in horror as the sanctity of a family home was violently replaced by the brutal reality of a terrorist attack." While it is impossible to fully capture the essence of all 1.200 stories cut short on October 7, I can choose to honor the community by remembering the specific names, families, and the "Tribe of Nova" heroes who shall never been forgotten.

Inside a dark tunnel beneath Gaza, wounded Hersh Goldberg-Polin kept his spirits alive by repeating a simple truth: "He who has a "why" can bear almost any "how." Hersh’s story, together with hundreds of others from the October 7 attacks, reminded the world of the profound weight of a single human life. Writing about this day is painful, but putting a name to the victims is an act of defiance against forgetfulness. Here are the stories of the lives they lived, and the legacies they left behind.

The Super Nova Music Festival 

◽Anita Lisman, and Segev Shushan were murdered by Hamas terrorists while trying to flee the Supernova music festival.

◽Guy Illouz, who was at the festival and manage to make a final phone call to his father,  telling him that he loved him, hiding from the terrorist. He was abducted and died in captivity.

◽Eynav Levy attended the festival together with her husband Or, Eynav was killed at the site, while Or was abducted and taken into Gaza.

◽Natalie Sanandaji recalls the confusion when intercepted rockets lit up the sky. She evacuated by car but quickly experienced gridlock traffic, forcing to abandon the car and to flee on foot. 

"We ran on foot for four hours after rockets and gunshots were heard. We only survived because of a man named Moshe Sati, who bravely drove back and forth to pull fleeing people out of danger and drive them to safety."

Today, Natalie shares her story, and speaking out is a big part of her healing process.

◽Shir Zohar, attended the festival with her best friend, Ester. When the chaos began, they got into Ester’s car to escape, only to come under direct fire from Hamas terrorists.

"Our car was hit six times. All the bullets got inside the vehicle, but miraculously, none of them hit us."

They abandoned the car and ran blindly on foot, eventually crossing paths with a festival bartender named Ori Arad, who helped them get to safety. 

◽Hadar Shave and her friend Shalev also abandoned their car after getting stuck in traffic. They fled back toward the fields and ended up hiding in an orchard for five agonizing hours. 

"We were dodging terrorists and bullets. For hours, we just lay there hearing gunshots, RPGs, grenades, missiles, and the screams of people being murdered all around us."

◽Yehuda Becher (24) left behind a powerful memory: a video of him singing "Elokai Neshama" while driving his car. He originally sent the clip to a close friend who was going through a difficult time and needed emotional support and positive energy.

Yehuda singing about HaShem reclaiming his pure soul, filmed before he was murdered at the Nova  Festival, deeply touched me.

In the wake of his death, his brothers and friends recorded "Elokai Neshama" to honor his life.

◽The Goldberg- Polin family became the global face of the hostage crisis following the October 7 attacks. Their son, Hersh Goldberg-Polin, was a 23-year-old American-Israeli who was severely wounded and abducted from the Nova Music Festival. His parents, Rachel Goldberg and Jon Polin, launched a tireless, high-profile international campaign to free him and the other hostages. Meeting with world leaders, speaking at the United Nations, and addressing the Democratic National Convention.

Hersh traveled to the Super Nova Music Festival with his close friends to celebrate his 23rd birthday. When the attack began, he sent two WhatsApp messages to his parents: "I love you" and "I'm sorry." 

Here is the story of Hersh  Goldberg- Polin 

1,000 Israeli musicians, singers, from all over Israel, together with family members of the hostages united in a heartfelt concert with one sole purpose: to Bring the Hostages Home 🎗

Testimonies of Returned Hostages from the Nova Festival. Their return was often complex operations, while others via diplomatic ceasefires. 

◽Noa Argamani became one of the most recognized faces of the October 7 abductions after footage been showed to the world, of her being driven away on a motorcycle from the Nova Festival. She was held captive for 738 days alongside women and children before being rescued by IDF.

◽Avinatan Or, who was abducted with her at the festival, endured even harsher conditions. He was isolated, chained in cramped tunnel enclosures with almost no food, and routinely beaten after a failed escape attempt, before finally being released via a US-mediated ceasefire. 

◽Evyatar David was captured together with his friend Guy Dal at the Nova Festival after traffic forced them into separate escape routes. For two years, his family survived on agonizing glimpses, including a Hamas-published video showing him visibly thin and weak in a dark tunnel. Upon his release and return home, his family shared a statement that expressed the long road ahead for survivors: 

"After two years of suffering, he is here. Now a new journey of healing will begin for Evyatar and us." 

◽Danielle Waldman was a 24-year-old California native and daughter of Israeli tech billionaire Eyal Waldman. She and her boyfriend, Noam Shai, were murderd  by Hamas terrorist while attempting to flee the Super Nova music festival.

◽Lior Asulin (43) Tel Aviv. Born in Ra'anana, Lior Asulin had a 20-year career as a forward in the Israeli Premier League, scoring 176 goals. He played for major clubs including Hapoel Tel Aviv, Beitar Jerusalem, and Bnei Sakhnin, with whom he won the Israeli State Cup in 2004. He was murdered by Hamas terrorists at the Super Nova Music Festival. 

◽Jake Aaron Marlowe (26), was a 26-year-old dual British-Israeli citizen and musician who was murdered by Hamas terrorists. He moved from London to Israel in 2021 after becoming deeply concerned by rising antisemitism in the UK. In Israel, he worked various jobs, including carpentry and security. 

◽Shani Louk( 22 ) from Germany, was murdered by Hamas terrorist while trying to escape the Nova Music Festival massacre. Her body was abducted and paraded through the streets of Gaza in the back of a pickup truck. In May 2024, the IDF recovered her body from a tunnel in Gaza, allowing her family to return her remains to Israel for a proper burial. 

◽Omer Shem Tov (20) attended the Nova Music Festival near the Gaza border.He initially tried to escape the incoming attack, but went back to help friends.His family tracked his live phone location and received frantic calls before seeing data show him driven into Gaza. A video later surfaced showing him handcuffed in a Hamas vehicle. 

Omer spent 505 days confined underground in extreme conditions, isolation, starvation, and severe psychologically distress. Faith kept him going.

On January 25, 2025, after 477 days in captivity, Naama Levy was freed together with Liri Albag, Karina Ariev, and Daniella Gilboa as part of a ceasefire-hostage exchange deal. While they survived unimaginable hardship and are undergoing a long rehabilitation process, they finally were home.Their friend Noa Marciano, didn't survive she was murdered in captivity. 

Kibbutz Nahal Oz

◽On October 7, 2023, Omri was brutally abducted from his home right in front of Lishay and their two young daughters, Roni and Alma. He was held in Hamas captivity for 738 days. Surviving over two years of extreme physical abuse, starvation, and isolation in the Gaza tunnels. During this agonising time, Lishay wrote "Mojo's Return" to help their children process the trauma and hold onto the hope that their father would return.

Hamas terrorists dragged the entire family out of their safe room and held them at gunpoint on the floor. They even used Facebook Live to stream the family's captivity.

After a few hours, Hamas terrorists forced the family out of their house and moved them to a neighbor's home, grouping them with other local residents. It was at this point that the terrorists separated the men from the women and children. They handcuffed Omri and forced him into a car to take him to Gaza.

Lishay, her daughters, and the other remaining neighbors were left behind under guard at the kibbutz. They were rescued by IDF later that evening after hours of intense fighting.

Following an agonizing two years of captivity, Omri was finally freed and reunited with Lishay, Roni, and Alma. 

Kibbutz Kfar Aza

◽Nitzan Libstein (19), Nitzan was alone in his apartment within the kibbutz's "Young Generation" neighborhood when terrorists broke in. He attempted to hold the safe room door shut, but was shot and severely wounded. Demonstrating extraordinary resourcefulness, he fashioned a makeshift tourniquet out of wire, broke out of a window to escape the burning building, and managed to run outside. Tragically, he succumbed to his wounds before help could reach him; his body was found days later hidden in nearby bushes.

◽Smadar Idan (38), an employee of Israel's internal security agency, the Shin Bet. She was murdered alongside her husband, Ynet photojournalist Roee Idan.Hamas terrorists breached the Idan family home early in the morning. Smadar was shot and killed inside the home's safe room. Her husband, Roee, went outside to protect the family and capture photos of the early paraglider infiltration; he was shot and killed outside while holding their youngest daughter, 3-year-old Avigail. The the two older children, Michael (9) and Amalia (6) fled back inside the house. They locked themselves inside a closet within the safe room. Michael bravely called the police and stating, "We are children. Both of our parents have just died." Guided by the dispatcher and a northern-based trauma therapist who stayed on the phone, the two children hid in total darkness for roughly 12 hours next to their mother's body before being rescued by the IDF.

◽Yiftach Kutz (15), was murdered alongside his entire immediate family. After initially being counted among the missing, Yiftach, his parents Aviv (54) and Livnat (49), his older sister Rotem (19), and his brother Yonatan (16) were discovered dead together in a single bed in their safe room. Their bodies were found frozen in a final protective embrace, with Aviv wrapping his arms over his wife and children to shelter them from the gunfire.

Following the massacre, the old basketball hall at the HaKfar HaYarok boarding school was renovated and transformed into an educational sports facility dedicated to honoring the legacy of Yiftach and Yonatan. Annual sports scholarships have also been established in the family's name.

◽Alon Shamriz (26), was a computer engineering student and former combat soldier.His name became globally known not only because of his abduction by Hamas on October 7, 2023, but due to the deeply tragic and heroic circumstances surrounding his death.

Alon lived in Kfar Aza’s "Young Generation" neighborhood, which bore some of the heaviest brunt of the early morning attacks. He managed to stay in contact with his brothers via text message as terrorists breached the kibbutz, but he was eventually forced out of his safe room and abducted into Gaza. In mid-December, an IDF strike or engagement eliminated their captors, giving the three men a window to escape. Utilizing his military background from serving in the elite Yahalom unit, Alon took the lead in trying to navigate them to safety. He left notes in Hebrew and used leftover food mapping out "SOS" and "Help, 3 Hostages" on a white sheet hung from a nearby building to alert Israeli forces.

The Tragedy: On December 15, 2023, the three men emerged from a building shirtless, waving a makeshift white flag to demonstrate they were unarmed. Due to a severe misidentification and a breach of engagement protocols, an Israeli sniper and nearby troops mistook them for a threat and fired. All three hostages, including Alon, were killed by friendly fire.

◽Cindy Flash (67), who was murdered alongside her 66-year-old husband, Igal Flash. Originally from St. Paul, Minnesota, Cindy grew up in a Christian family. She fell in love with Israel during a visit in the late 1970s, moved there alone to volunteer on a kibbutz, and subsequently converted to Judaism. It was during her early kibbutz years that she met Igal, the son of Holocaust survivors. They eventually settled in Kfar Aza in 2001 to raise their three daughters.

On the morning of October 7, Cindy and Igal took shelter in their safe room with their dog, Tootsie. They exchanged frantic text updates with their daughter Keren, who also lived in the kibbutz with her husband and baby daughter. The final communication received from Cindy was a message stating that attackers had breached the home.

It took several days of agonizing uncertainty for their family to learn their fate, initially fearing they had been taken hostage. The IDF later confirmed they were shot and killed instantly when terrorists forced open the safe room door. Forensic timelines indicate they were among the final civilians killed in the kibbutz that day.

◽Igal Flash Staff Sgt.(66) who was murdered alongside his wife Cindy. Igal was born in 1957 on Kibbutz Netzer Sereni to Polish Holocaust survivors who immigrated to Israel shortly before the state was founded. Growing up, he developed a deep passion for farming. At age 18, he joined a Nahal military group to return to kibbutz life and moved to Kibbutz Nir Am, where he met Cindy. They married in 1983, raised three daughters, and moved to Kfar Aza in 2001.

Described by his children as the steady, quiet balance to his wife’s vibrant personality, Igal is remembered as a gentle humanitarian and a master of his craft who dedicated his entire life to blooming the arid landscapes of the Western Negev.

◽Ofir Shoshani (20), was a off-duty IDF soldier born and raised in Klar Aza. SheShe was brutally murdered inside her apartment. Around 10:00 AM, Ofir messaged her family that she had been shot in her apartment and her hand was severely wounded. Hearing of his daughter's distress, her father, Shai Shoshani, grabbed a weapon and charged out into the kibbutz in an attempt to reach her apartment, but he was shot and wounded by terrorists along the way. At 11:46 AM, Ofir sent one final message to her friends and mother: "I love you." Terrorists breached her safe room and killed her.

◽Yona Betzalel (23) was a Israeli-American IDF combat medic in the elite Duvdevan commando unit. While he did not live in Klar Aza his name is forever bound to Kibbutz Kfar Aza because of his immense bravery in defending it.

On the morning of October 7, Yona and his six-man Duvdevan team were among the very first organized IDF forces to reach the heavily ambushed kibbutz. After successfully rescuing several families trapped in safe rooms, his team was ambushed. When his commander Ben Burstein and a close comrade Amir Fischer were hit, Yona charged directly into heavy gunfire to save them.

During his rescue attempt, Yona was shot 13 times. Despite being catastrophically wounded and waiting hours for evacuation amid the chaos, he clung to life. He was transported to Sheba Medical Center as an anonymous, unidentified soldier. To save his life, doctors had to perform bilateral, above-the-knee leg amputations and more than 20 surgeries. Yona spent 417 days in the intensive care unit. Throughout his grueling hospitalization, he remained conscious, extraordinarily positive, and deeply faithful, inspiring thousands of citizens, dignitaries, and fellow soldiers who visited his bedside.

Yona was buried with full military honors on Mount Herzl in Jerusalem, attended by thousands from across Israel and the global Anglo-Aliyah community. 

Kibbutz Nir Oz

◽The Bibas family, Yarden, Shiri, Ariel (4) and his baby bother Kfir, 9 months old, were brutally taken from their home.They physically abused Yarden who tried to protect his family. Yarden was taken separately from Shiri and his children into Gaza. I will never forget the desperate look on Shiri's face, while holding both Ariel and Kfir in her arms, unable to protect her children from evil.

◽The Silberman family, parents of Shiri Bibas, 

◽The Siman Tov Family, Tamar and Yonatan along withtheir three young children, twins Arbel and Shachar (6), and Omer (2).

◽Oded Lifshitz,( 84) and his wife Yocheved (85)were taken, but freed early on.

◽Gad Haggai (73) and his wife Judy Weinstein-Haggai ( 70), were shot while on their morning walk, they died of their wounds.

Kibbutz Be'eri

◽IlanWeiss (56 ) was a infrastructure manager and deputy commander of the emergency response team at Kibbutz Be'eri, was murdered by Hamas while defending his community. After being shot and killed near the security weapons locker, his body was abducted and taken into the Gaza. August 2025, after nearly 700 days, the IDF recovered his body from Gaza during a military operation, and he was returned to Kibbutz Be'eri for burial on September 1, 2025.

His wife, Shiri (53), and his youngest daughter, Noga (18), were also taken hostage from their home.They were held captive in Gaza for 50 days before being released in late November 2023 as part of a temporary ceasefire agreement.

His two older daughters, Meytal and Maayan, survived the massacre by hiding inside their home's safe room for 12 hours until being rescued by the Chayalim. His brother, Amir, and sister-in-law, Mati, were murdered in a separate house during the attack. 

◽The Even Family: Parents Hen and Rinat, and their two teenage sons, Alon (16) and Ido (14), who were all murdered in their home, leaving behind two young surviving boys.

◽The Hezroni twins ( 12 ) Liel and Yanai Hezroni, who were murdered alongside their great-aunt Ayala and grandfather Avia, who had stepped in to raise them.

◽Mila Cohen: A 10-month-old baby girl who was murdered in her home together with her father and grandfather. 

 ◽Daniel Wais, a 20 year old Israeli musician, Tragically his father Shmulik was murdered defending the kibbutz, and his mother Yehudit was abducted to Gaza, she was murdered.

Daniel recorded " Vehi Sheamda" (Yonatan Razel) with Y- Studs A Capella, and dedicated this song in memory of his parents, Shmuel and Yehudit Wais.                                                

                שיר זה מוקדש לזכרם של שמואל ויהודית וייס

What Happened to the Bibas Family 

On the morning of October 7, Nir Oz; Yarden tried to heroically defend his family with a handgun. He was overwhelmed, beaten, and abducted separately into Gaza while covered in blood. Shortly after, Shiri, Ariel, and baby Kfir, the youngest person taken hostage that day were kidnapped. While in captivity, Hamas weaponized the family for propaganda. In late November 2023, Hamas released a cruel, coerced video of Yarden, forcing him to react to unverified claims that his wife and children had been killed in an airstrike. Yarden's Release: Following a diplomatic ceasefire agreement, Yarden Bibas was released alive on February 1, 2025, after enduring 484 days in captivity. Tragically, he returned home only to have his worst fears officially confirmed weeks later. The Fate of Shiri, Ariel, and Kfir: In late February 2025, a ceasefire deal mandated the return of deceased hostages. The bodies of Shiri, Ariel, and Kfir were returned to Israel. Forensic investigations shattered Hamas’s claims of an airstrike:  The IDF confirmed that the mother and her two little boys had been murdered in cold blood by their captors while in captivity. Intelligence established their official date of death as November 28, 2023. 

The Lavaya and Legacy 

On February 26, 2025, Shiri, Ariel, and Kfir were buried together in a single casket at the Tsoher Cemetery, laid to rest right next to Shiri's parents (who were also murdered on October 7). 

At the funeral, Yarden delivered a devastating eulogy, apologizing through tears for his inability to protect them that morning. Today, Yarden survives as the sole member of his immediate family. On what would have been baby Kfir's third birthday, Yarden shared an emotional tribute online, writing: "My beloved Kfir, you didn't get to celebrate this year... I'm sorry for bringing you into such a cruel world... I hope you know how much I love you and how much I miss you."  May HaShem be with Yarden.

" Their names are now engraved in the heart of our nation. We pleaded, we cried, lighting candles and davening like there was no tomorrow. Though their lives were stolen in the darkness, their light remains unextinguished. May the memory of Shiri, Ariel, and baby Kfir be a blessing forever, and may HaShem watch over Yarden, granting him comfort, strength and peace in a broken world." 

The Israel Defence Force

Honoring the Bravery and Sacrifice of the IDF Since October 7

When the sirens when off in the early hours of the morning on October 7, 2023, the reality of life in Israel changed In the face of unprecedented danger, the IDF did what they have always done: they answered the call to protect their country, their families, their people and their home.

For nearly three years, these soldiers have stood on the front lines, their resilience was phenomenal . This is a tribute to those who made the ultimate sacrifice and the thousands who continue to fight every single day to keep the nation safe.

The true cost of defending a nation is measured in the lives of those who protect it. Since the outbreak of the war, the burden of sacrifice has been extremely heavy.

There is the ultimate Sacrifices over 1,318 security personnel, including almost 970 IDF soldiers and officers, together with police and local security teamshave died in the line of duty.They were the First Responders: On that fateful Saturday morning, active-duty soldiers, border police, and local community security squads rushed directly into danger. They fought fiercely to defend border communities and military outposts, saving countless lives through pure bravery.

A Nation in Mourning, behind every number there is a story.

The IDF is still standing, still fighting, while we honor those we have lost, we also draw inspiration from the thousands of soldiers who remain in uniform, maintaining an unwavering shield over the country.

A Story of Unity and Resilience

The story of the IDF since October 7 is not just a military story; it is a human story of profound love for their homeland. It is defined by the absolute selflessness of soldiers and veteran reservists alike, all driven by one  mission: the survival and security of their people.

As the mission continues, the legacy of all who died remains a guiding light for those still in the field. They fight not out of hatred for what is in front of them, but out of an fierce dedication to protecting the people behind them.

Around 970 IDF soldiers and officers have lost their lives since the outbreak of the war against Israel and the Jewish people on October 7, 2023. 

Mi Sheberach L'Chayalim by Yaakov Lemmer