Hodayah Hevroni, a student in the Kedma youth village who was in the town of Nir Oz on the morning of the October 7th massacre, was evacuated to Eilat. From there, she speaks with Arutz Sheva - Israel National News about the overwhelming uncertainty among members of her community. The understanding that something significant was happening to her came in stages. She recounts the morning of the attack: "We had no idea it could reach such an extent. I told myself that all the shooting and explosions I was hearing was from the IDF fighting terrorists. I did not imagine soldiers would not arrive until such a late hour." As a member of the student village who is not a member of the kibbutz itself, she had the option not to evacuate to Eilat with the rest of the kibbutz, and instead to return to her parents' home. Her decision was not immediate, but she said, "We very quickly understood that we would share the same fate as the kibbutz, at least for the short term. From the moment we went with them to Eilat, we became an inseparable part of everything that was happening, whether helping with children or doing anything else that anyone they could help with, according to their own ability." Related articles: IDF resumes combat against Hamas 'The attack against Hamas creates pressure to release hostages' 'The return to fighting will bring them back home' 'Israel is making an effort to minimize civilian deaths in Gaza' Hevroni views giving to the members of the kibbutz as a part of the personal coping process that every one of these students will need to go through after the trauma they experienced: "You can say that in the first month we didn't stop for a moment, we were in a continual loop of coping by helping and being a part of things. It wasn't just for others, it was for us too." The attitude towards the prisoner exchange has been a serious disappointment among the members of the kibbutz. "We living in a period of uncertainty, and it's difficult. On the other hand, we are seeing some hope and results, and are trying to grab onto it." Regarding the community's future, she said that the kibbutz intends to remain a single community, and is planning to move to Carmei Gat near Kiryat Gat. "Our community will do everything possible to stay a community step by step, from the trip from the hotel to our homes and from there to the next step," she concluded.
The Hassidic rabbinical judge Rabbi Elimelech Wasserman, who was murdered on Thursday morning in a shooting attack in Jerusalem, was laid to rest in the city. The funeral procession left the Belz Great Study Hall and made its way to the Har Hamenuchot Cemetary. President of the Supreme Rabbinical Court and Chief Rabbi of Israel, Rabbi Yitzhak Yosef, eulogized: The rabbinical court system lost an important judge today. The deceased would sit in the court, and all of the young judges would enjoy his advice and resourcefulness. He was moderate. On every matter, he would rule according to Halacha; the judges lost one of their senior judges today. G-d should comfort the important family, may they not add any more sorry, and G-d erase every tear from all faces, and we should merit to see the resurrection of the dead and the full redemption." Rabbi Wasserman was a respected rabbi in the Belz Hassidic sect in Jerusalem and a member of the Ashdod Rabbinical Court. His family said that he was on his way to the court in Ashdod when he was murdered by terrorists at the bus stop at one of the entrances to Jerusalem. Rabbi Wasserman studied at the Seret Viznitz Yeshiva in Haifa. After he married, he studied Jewish law at the Harry Fischel Institute, where he was ordained as a rabbinical judge by the late Rabbi Yosef Cohen and the Chief Rabbinate. He is the son-in-law of Rabbi Asher Freind. He served as a judge in the Monetary Court in Jerusalem, and was one of the most learned of the judges, with great experience in both instruction and ruling on cases, and had considerable knowledge of the Talmud and authorities in the Jewish law.
