Faith's Enduring Power: Survivors Recount Finding Strength in Belief After Oct. 7th Trauma
Translated & summarized from Now 14 by baba
Author Tehila Tchekole explores how survivors of the October 7th attacks, particularly former hostages, have found renewed and strengthened faith in the face of extreme trauma. She shares accounts of individuals maintaining religious practices in captivity and reflects on her own near-fatal experience at Kibbutz Nir Oz. Tchekole suggests that faith provides an essential anchor and light when all else fails, becoming a powerful force that transcends rational explanation.
The story in 6 lines · by baba
- Survivors of the October 7th attacks are finding renewed strength and faith in their beliefs after experiencing extreme trauma.
- Hostage survivors like Agam Berger and Bar Kuperstein maintained religious practices, including kashrut and fasting, while in captivity.
- Author Tehila Tchekole narrowly escaped the massacre at Kibbutz Nir Oz due to her mother's intervention.
- The article highlights stories of resilience, such as Shabbat services held with makeshift items in captivity.
- Rom Barslavsky refused to abandon his Jewish identity when confronted by his captors.
- Tchekole suggests faith serves as a vital refuge and source of light when all other support systems collapse.
Three years after the October 7th Hamas attacks, author Tehila Tchekole reflects on the profound role of faith in the lives of survivors, particularly those held hostage. Tchekole, who narrowly escaped the massacre at Kibbutz Nir Oz due to her mother's insistence she not travel there for Shabbat, questions what drives individuals to embrace faith even more strongly after experiencing extreme trauma.
She shares compelling stories of former hostages who found solace and maintained religious observance under impossible conditions. Agam Berger, for instance, clung to her faith while in captivity, striving to keep kosher and observe Shabbat. Bar Kuperstein and others observed Yom Kippur in a Gaza tunnel, discovering the date via Al Jazeera broadcast and even leading prayers. Ovad Ben Ami and Elkana Bohbot held Shabbat services with makeshift items, while Rom Barslavsky defiantly refused to convert, declaring his Jewish identity.
Tchekole's personal experience at Kibbutz Nir Oz, where her apartment was destroyed and friends were taken hostage or killed, fuels her deep, personal inquiry into faith's resilience. She recounts a near-miss, having planned to return to the kibbutz for Shabbat but ultimately staying home after her mother's plea. This decision, she believes, saved her life, leading her to embrace humility and gratitude for her survival.
The author posits that faith becomes a crucial anchor when all else collapses, offering light in the darkest of times. The stories of survivors like Berger, Kuperstein, Barslavsky, and many others, who emerged from the ordeal with strengthened faith, underscore for Tchekole that some aspects of human experience transcend rational understanding. She concludes that faith begins where intellect ends, providing an essential refuge and source of strength.
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