“They cannot steal our joy”

We can still find miracles of light in our seasons of darkness

The week before October 7, my newly engaged son and his fiancée were enjoying the Festival of Sukkos in Israel.

Jake and Morgan had tickets to return to St. Louis the following week, when they would begin planning their wedding.

Hamas had other plans for them. Instead of flying home together on Delta, Morgan returned by herself on Ethiopian Airlines and Jake found himself reunited with his combat unit on Israel’s northern border.

Jews around the world remember the days and weeks that followed. We remember waiting for the IDF to launch its offensive to crush Hamas and recover the hostages. We remember waiting to see if America would stand with Israel against terrorist atrocities… which gratefully it has done. We waited to see if Hezbollah, Syria, and Iran would open a second front to the north… which, for the moment, they have not.

And we continue to wait for victory over unbridled evil, for the return of the remaining hostages, for peace in our land, for Jewish students on American college campuses to feel safe, and for the world community to embrace sanity and denounce malevolent violence with one voice.

But Jake and Morgan decided not to wait any longer. If they couldn’t be together, at least they could sanctify their commitment to one another. And so, on two weeks’ notice, they resolved to marry in Israel.

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