07/10/2026
Today we mark the third anniversary of October 7. We do so with heavy hearts and with a profound sense of responsibility to remember, to reflect, and to rebuild.
October 7 changed the way we all experience our Jewish lives. The images and stories of that terrible day are etched in our hearts: the lives lost, the families shattered, the hostages taken, the communities evacuated, and our deep sense of vulnerability.
Yet, alongside the pain, we witnessed something extraordinary: the capacity of the Jewish people to respond to tragedy with courage, compassion, creativity, and hope.
Schechter is at the heart of this response.
Across our institutions, Schechter’s presence is felt where Israel and the Jewish people need us most.
We expanded our healing and resilience programs, bringing Jewish learning, bibliotherapy, psychodrama, and communal support to communities and individuals carrying enormous emotional burdens. In Ofakim and Kiryat Shmona, SIJS has created healing and rebuilding spaces.
Through programs such as B'chol Nafshach in the SRS, we are accompanying young Israelis as they navigate the emotional challenges of returning to civilian life after military service.
Through TALI, we are helping Israeli children and educators process an extraordinarily difficult period while strengthening their sense of identity, belonging, and connection to Jewish tradition.
At Neve Schechter’s cultural space, Jewish creativity, art, music, and culture programming provide opportunities for Israelis to gather, reflect, create, and heal. We are particularly proud of our artist incubator program supporting Russian-speaking olim who escaped one war to end up in the midst of another. And throughout the war, our work with Jewish communities in Ukraine is strengthening, reminding us that Jewish solidarity does not stop at Israel's borders.
Perhaps most importantly, Schechter has continued to educate the next generation of Jewish leaders.
As we mark this painful anniversary, may we remember those whose lives were taken and pray for healing those who continue to carry the wounds of October 7.
And may we continue the extraordinary resilience of the Jewish people.
May Israel know peace.
May those who are wounded find healing.
May displaced communities return home and rebuild.
May the families who have suffered unimaginable loss find comfort.
May the Jewish people remain united in our diversity, strong in our commitment to one another, and unwavering in our hope.
And may the work we undertake together through Schechter help transform the pain of these years into a renewed commitment to Jewish life, Jewish learning, and a more hopeful future for Israel and the Jewish people.
With gratitude and with prayers for better days ahead,
Rabbi Matt Berkowitz
President, The Schechter Institutes, Inc. Jerusalem
