Dear friends, October 7 2023 was Israel’s 911. That beautiful Saturday morning was Simchat Torah, the conclusion of the Jewish reading cycle of scripture. It was a bright day, filled with beauty until the unthinkable occurred. Around 6am Hamas terrorists burst through the border fence and brutally attacked Israeli kibbutzim and a music festival near the border.

What unfolded was horrific, and by now we have all seen the gruesome videos and heard unimaginable stories of the grotesque things demonized Hamas terrorists did that day.

One of the 250+ hostages taken was Eli Sharabi, a married man who, after 491 days in captivity, was released to find out his wife, daughters and his brother were all murdered by Hamas. Eli became the face of the hostages who were released late in captivity, amidst demeaning “ceremonies” in which hostages were shamefully paraded and made to pose for pictures alongside masked terrorists and their propagandizing signs and actions.

We should never forget October 7, and we should never cease to pray for the remaining hostages and their families. Israel continues to grieve, yet the resilience of the Jewish people is once again encapsulated in an astonishing way. Despite all he has been through, Eli Sharabi presses on. When asked how he does so, he responds, “I love life.”

Indeed, the zeal for life among Israelis is amazing and encouraging. Through it all, they live life. That is a lesson we can all learn!

Today, as you consider that horrible day, rejoice that Eli Sharabi is free and living life. Here is part of his story: