To help Jewish youth process the upcoming anniversary of October 7, Moving Traditions has updated the curricular session, Yahrzeit: Remembering Oct 7, to help teens mark the moment.
For you and the teens in your life, we offer you an excerpt here. We invite you to use this to guide a conversation with your family, perhaps as you sit down for a meal together. If possible, have a candle for each family member available to light at the conclusion.
If you are a partnering educator, access the full curricular session in the Curriculum Portal.
ASK YOUR CHILD/REN:
- What do you know about October 7?
Tip for parents: When discussing an upsetting current event, you always want to start where your children are – ask what they already know. The answers may be surprisingly complete OR incomplete, but you won’t know until you ask! We recommend following this with the brief paragraph below to give your preteens or teens basic details about the October 7 attack. Please adjust it, however, for your child’s age, developmental readiness, or previous knowledge. Younger children often benefit from a reminder that they and their families are safe when discussing disturbing events. If this may be helpful for your child, remind them that the world has never been completely 100% safe, but they are safe right now. You may also wish to describe security measures in your own synagogue or community space such as security guards, cameras, etc.
SAY:
On October 7, 2023, thousands of heavily armed fighters from Hamas, a terrorist group in Gaza, broke through the border between Gaza and Israel and killed 1,200 Israelis and took 250 more hostages. It was the largest terrorist attack in Israel’s history. Today is the anniversary, an important time to reflect on the day and what has happened since.
Here is a cartoon drawn by an Israeli artist, Noa Kelner, that shows one aspect of what it’s like for parents and children to talk about things like Oct 7 and the wars together.
DISPLAY Noa Kelner Image
Noa Kelner, Instagram
ASK YOUR CHILD:
- What’s going on in this picture?
- What do you see that makes you say that?
- What more can you find?
SAY:
This image was created about a year after the original Oct 7 attacks. Since October 7, 2023, ongoing wars between Israel and Hamas (in Gaza), Hezbollah (in Lebanon) and Iran have disrupted daily life for millions of Israelis. Rocket and missile attacks have repeatedly sent civilians to shelters at all hours of the day and night. Tens of thousands of people were evacuated from communities near the borders with Gaza and Lebanon, and many remained away from their homes for months or longer. Schools have closed for extended periods because of security concerns. Hundreds of thousands of military reservists were called up for extended service, leaving many families with a parent away for months and creating staffing shortages in businesses, hospitals, and other workplaces. Meanwhile, protests have broken out around the world (including within Israel) against the Israeli military or, in some cases, against Israel itself. Although much of the Jewish world outside of Israel considers October 7 to be “over,” Israeli life has still not yet returned to normal.
The artist’s post on Instagram was accompanied by thousands of supportive reactions, especially from parents, who felt that it was a fitting illustration of their role as parents right now – to be strong and to protect their children.
DISCUSS:
- (For children to answer) Do you think it is a parent’s role to protect children from scary or disturbing events in the world? Why or why not?
- (For parents to answer) Do you try to protect your child from the news? If so, how and why? If not, why not? How do you think this may change as your child grows up?
- (For both parents and children) How do you think adults should best prepare children to understand, feel safe in, and find their way in a world that includes scary or disturbing events? How does this show up in your family, school, or community?
SAY:
One thing that we can do as a family is acknowledge that it’s OK to feel sad or angry when bad things happen in the world. No one has to feel those things alone or pretend they don’t exist. We can feel them together as a family.
We also feel them with our family, friends, or loved ones in Israel, which is still dealing with the effects of Oct 7 and war.
DISPLAY Reut Bortz image.
Translation:
At the top (in red): Siren Siren
On the screen: Graduation Ceremony, Kiryat Shmoneh, 2024 5 6
Speech bubble: “We’ll try again next year”
Source: Reut Bortz, @comicsgirl; June 2026 (Instagram)
ASK YOUR CHILD:
- What’s going on in this picture?
- What do you see that makes you say that?
- What more can you find?
SAY:
This comic captures one aspect of the disruption: many areas, like the Israeli city Kiryat Shmoneh, have not been able to hold a graduation ceremony as scheduled for 3 years in a row.
DISCUSS:
- What do you think it would be like to experience repeated sirens or evacuations? How might that affect a child’s, teen’s, or parent’s mental health?
- Has your own life been affected by Oct 7 or the wars in any way? How so?
- What kinds of things do you think help people feel safe when normal life is disrupted or the world feels scary?
- If you had to give this image a title, what would it be? Why?
INVITE each family member to light a memorial candle, then RECITE or SING one of the prayers here, or another of your choosing that feels appropriate.
This was an excerpt. The full session can be found here.