All of my Jewish friends around the world were anticipating October 7th this year. Some might have been preparing to attend a memorial event, while others might have taken a more solitary approach to commemorating the infamous day. Regardless of how one chose to spend it, it affected every Jewish teen in some way.

In my community, BBYO members had the opportunity to volunteer as ushers at a citywide remembrance event at our local synagogue. My brother Alephs and I were asked to arrive early to escort people into the event, proudly wearing golden ribbons on our sleeves to remember the hostages taken from Israel. Even in this day and age, where it is more common than not for security to be stationed at a variety of events, seeing two police officers guarding the entrance to the synagogue still left me with a question of “why.”Why do such horrible actions take place that leave our community with a fear of attack in what’s supposed to be a place of comfort and solace? I know how necessary it is to have these safeguards in place, but it makes me very disillusioned to think that these concerns are ones that we, as a commonly targeted minority, even have to consider. Still, it was a great honor for BBYO to have a small part in such an important event for our greater community.

The event itself was a beautiful ceremony that surpassed my expectations by a milestone. I don’t think any teenager (or person for that matter) quite knows what to expect for an occasion such as this one, but I was prepared for a heart-rending evening full of sadness and despair for the atrocities that took place a year ago to this day. However, in addition to acknowledging and paying tribute to the lives lost on that fateful day, I was astonished and honored to experience an uplifting concert by an Israeli band coming straight from Galilee to share their gift of music with the San Antonio community. HaShayara performed many incredible songs, in Hebrew and in English, for everyone that night and truly reminded us that there is still hope and beauty, even among chaos and sorrow. If you know me, you know how much I love music, so getting to see this extraordinary band perform ballads like“Hallelujah” and “October Rain,” a song discussing the events of October 7th that was not allowed to be performed at the Eurovision contest, really felt like the best way for me to commemorate this horrible day. The Israeli band members’ strength really shined through in these moments, powerfully sharing their optimistic outlook on life and hope with my community.