For our friends in our partner city of Ashkelon, the days since October 7 have been particularly heavy. Many of them witnessed and experienced the violence, fear and chaos firsthand.

However, despite the terrifying events that occurred nearly one year ago, The Associated has been working together with our partners both locally and overseas to rebuild and unite in the face of tragedy.

The following stories are letters sent to us from Ashkelon –– firsthand accounts of what life has been like since that fateful day.

Sigalit Israeli’s story

The bond between us only got stronger when she came to visit Israel. The feeling of brotherhood, love for Israel and us, the warmth and tenderness she brought with her, moved me more than anything. And then October 7th came, and life changed forever. When the Iron Swords War started, I sent Ellen a message that Israel was under missile attack. From that moment on, Ellen was by my side every step of the way, not just as a friend, but as a true ally. She was there every day, every hour, supporting me emotionally when fears and pain overwhelmed me, She was much more available to me than the people who were with me in Ashkelon, even those who ran to the shelters with me. When my building was hit by a missile, Ellen was there to make sure I was okay, offer words of comfort, send me flowers on my birthday, and help me find the strength to carry on.

Ellen was not content with just remote support. When Shavuot approached, she and her mother came to visit us. During the holiday, a moment happened that will never be forgotten: Ellen’s mother looked at my children with loving eyes and said to them: “From now on I am your grandmother.” It was a magical moment that made my heart fill with unimaginable happiness. That moment made Ellen and her family an integral part of my family. It was not just a visit – it was a meeting of souls, a deep connection that will continue to accompany me always.

When my daughter, Shir, flew to the USA to work at a camp in New York in the summer, we planned that I would also come to the USA and together we would meet Ellen again in Baltimore. But due to the fear of another attack by Iran, my flight was canceled. Just as she did before, Ellen immediately volunteered to host Shir, take care of everything she needs, and guarantee her a safe place until the situation clears up and the flights resume. Not only that, Ellen also took care of a full entertainment program for Shir and ensured that she would find everything she needed to feel safe and loved, far from home.

The way Ellen handled every single detail, the way she turned a stressful and scary situation into a manageable situation – this is something that few people in the world are able to do. She didn’t just help; she showed me what real love is, a love that does not depend on anything, a sister’s love for the soul.

Dear Aviva was also there to help visit Shir on parents’ day at the camp and bring her treats, and also offered to host her at her place. Together with Ellen, they are the leading force that made this whole situation something to deal with. Thanks to Ellen, I know I have family in Baltimore. She is not just a friend – she is a part of my heart, of my life, and she always will be.

Thanks to the “Kesher” Project, the connection between Ashkelon and Baltimore has strengthened.

We have a family in Baltimore
Sigalit Israeli
Ashkelon, Israel

Mayrav Chady-Chayon’s story

September 8, 2024, Ashkelon

In less than a month, it will be one year since October 7^th. 

I remember that a few days before October 7^th, we went to a bar in Sderot with friends from Ashkelon.  No one felt vulnerable, nervous, wished they were carrying a gun or felt the need to.  Yet, instead of feeling at ease and joyful, appreciating the care-free time with friends, our whole evening was spent arguing amongst us, yelling and ranting, just arguing about everything.  We argued about the angry behavior between religious and non-religious Tel-Avivians who almost beat each other up on Yom Kippur at the Dizengoff Center just a few days before, we argued about the judicial reform, and who will protect our rights, we argued about the difference in reactions if rockets are launched to Ashkelon and Sderot versus if they are launched to Tel Aviv.

Who knew? Who could have imagined that just a mere few days later we would be brought to our knees?  Who knew that all those big issues we were so enraged and indignant about would evaporate to nothingness just a few days later?  Who knew that we would pay such a high price for our over-confidence and our exaggerated self-assurance? Who knew that with one fell swoop, we, tiny, Israel, portrayed as a Goliath, would overnight become David, only to quickly return to becoming Goliath again. Conceptions, misconceptions and perceptions all transformed daily, being shattered and rebuilt, with just a smattering of truth and a lot of propaganda and social media in the mix.

It’s all we talk about. What led to October 7^th, what happened on October 7^th, and what has happened since October 7^th It’s all anyone talks about:  On the beach, at Shabbat Dinner, in coffee houses, before and after meetings, in the supermarket line, that’s it, just this.  I can’t even really remember what we talked about before. That is, before the before – before the judicial reform protests, and religious/non-religious, right wing/left wing division divided us all up and led us to this.  

But now, nearly one year later, sitting at the table on Shabbat morning, with my kids around me, there is something I realize – we have gone back in time. This horrific war has turned back the clock. And as a result, I no longer have to explain to my kids or any other Israeli kid for that matter, what it means to be “Tzioni”, a Zionist.  Fresh life has been breathed into that word, which was dying a slow painful death over the last decades. As an “Olah Chadasha” (new immigrant to Israel) I myself who, many many years ago, made Aliyah purely out of Tzionut, found that when asked “why did you move here?”, my response tended to elicit smirks from the younger Israelis. But no more! We have gone back to a time where the ideology and substance behind the term “Tzioni” is crystal clear and so very relevant.  It is no longer necessary to persuade or argue about why the teaching of the existence of Israel is so important, and the notion to just up and leave Israel today is, now, often met with the response of “really? And where would you go to?”.

We no longer have to look back and imagine how in the “olden days”, hard-core, well-trained combat soldiers were literally the most essential factors for winning a war; we are living those very days once again:  Our kids, brothers, fathers, uncles are those hard-core, well-trained combat soldiers we thought were becoming obsolete.

We’ve gone back to the days before cyber units and military intelligence were the only thing of importance in our modern 21^st century army and realize painfully today that relying solely on them is not really reliable at all, that all of the Yechidot (units) need to be Muchanot (ready), and all are of importance.

We can no longer look at the younger Israeli generation and think how much more we were at their age, how much better WE were than THEY are.   We can no longer sigh dramatically amongst ourselves and say to each other “they’re not like us, they’re different -this generation- they just don’t have our resilience, commitment, ideology… They’re the generation of screens, and social media and Me, Me, Me. 

Nope, we can’t say that pompous stuff anymore and those of us who did say it owe the younger generation a huge apology. They turned out to be truly excellent. The very best there is. A young generation of Israelis – those who were in Israel and those who came from the Diaspora, at the first sign of the war to fight in Israel, those who made Aliyah to become an Israeli, to fight alongside other Israelis. Absolutely the finest there is, fighting to preserve the values that are the foundation and fabric of our lives here, those that make Israel so vital.  Dafka, this generation turned out to be our light of Zion, our lions of Zion, our hope, our future, battling for the very same ideology that we had thought was dead, that we felt needed to be explained and taught by us, but, as it turns out, flowed through their veins all along.

God Willing, this Yom Kippur we will not repeat the mistakes of the past.  We will, each, in our own way, yet together, pray for the return of our hostages, the speedy recovery of our wounded, solace for our mourners and the safe return home of all our soldiers. And together in this humbled and fragile unity, our prayers will be answered.

Mayrav Chady-Chayon,
Ashkelon 2024

Tali Frank Horwitz’s story

RANDOM EXCERPTS of communication with friends in the Diaspora

By Tali Frank Horwitz

I made Aliyah to Israel 30 years ago.

Two years ago my husband and I moved to Ashkelon. It is our home.

The following passages are from the last 10 months, starting from October 7th 2023.

Ashkelon is 4.7 miles from northern Gaza.

October 2023

I have been “couch surfing” for nine days because Ashkelon has been continuously bombarded by rockets. We kept running to the shelter, day and night. 

Now I am in an apartment in Jerusalem that someone in the USA graciously loaned me for the duration of the war. It is near my 87-year-old mother, which is very convenient. I can stay here, indefinitely. This way I have a central meeting place for our five kids/spouses/grandkids and beside my mother. My husband decided to stay in Ashkelon and help with the war efforts. Each of us is with our respective responsibilities right now. Some of our kids are couch-surfing as well but will probably join me in Jerusalem soon given we have a temporary home.

A rocket hit diagonal to our building in Ashkelon, three hours ago. Another hit 20 minutes ago.

Our oldest son, is in the IDF. He is protecting communities in Judea and Samaria. Our youngest daughter was supposed to start Ashkelon College last week and live in the dorm, but the college never opened, therefore she has no place to live. Our daughter in the North of Israel was told to evacuate. She is temporarily living with a friend on a kibbutz. She went to two funerals of friends who were at the Nova Festival.

We are living and breathing this war.  Our phones are in our hands every second.

It’s hard to be away from home. It may be weeks until I get back.

I asked a friend who stayed in Ashkelon how was Shabbat? Her response was:

Ashkelon Friend: We ate dinner at the Cohen’s (three rocket attacks) and lunch with the Levi’s (0 rocket attacks). Overall, it was a restful day.

I went to a Shiva visit for a soldier that fell, Yonadav Levenstein, age 23. I know his mother and his brother. It is heartbreaking. 

November 2023

This morning I was woken up at 6:13 a.m. by rockets and a siren. No one should have to go through this one day in their life, certainly not for 15 years like residents further south from us.

Our apt is a 10 minute walk from a gathering point for soldiers that exit Gaza and get a 24 hour respite to shower, sleep and see family.

My nephew is expected to get out of the army, tomorrow. He’s been in for a few weeks. His wife and seven-month-old baby are coming to stay with us, with hopes they can see him. No one knows for sure.

We are sitting on pins and needles hoping to get notice as to when he will be out. Unfortunately he did not get out of Gaza today. His wife and baby are staying over another day, as well as his mother and father, this way if he gets out they can all run over at a moment’s notice. A meeting is for only two hours.

It happened! After waiting another 36 hours, our nephew hugged and kissed his wife, saw his baby and parents! We also gave a warm hug! I thanked him for his service which enables me to live in Ashkelon with a few quiet days.

December 2023

I have not written much because I have been heartbroken. This is beyond a human’s range/scale of emotions. We are so deeply affected by the captives, injured, dead, rockets… its plain overload.

My husband has been called for reserve duty. He will be starting this week. He is 64 years old and will serve for two week periods near Hebron. He will alleviate other soldiers so they may go home to rest a bit or be with their families.

Day 67, I can’t believe we are still counting days.

I am sitting in the shelter now. More sirens. Rockets were launched all over Israel.

I can feel the physiological changes in my body – increased heart rate, rapid breaths…

First time I had to jump out of the shower due to rockets. My hair was full of conditioner and my hands too. I grabbed my towel and ran to the shelter. I had difficulty slamming the door to the shelter because my hands were slippery from the conditioner. It was scary and kind of funny. I suspect I will have extra silky hair from the extra conditioning the war enabled. ????

This morning I played Pickle Ball, the first time in two months, the courts reopened yesterday. The courts were covered with shrapnel! We picked up the pieces, small, large. Sharp as hell. My friend is a welder and said she will make an art project out of it, possibly a Hanukia.

January 2024

Friday’s rockets (erev Shabbat), caught me with my pants down, literally.

(I debated whether to write this, but decided it’s our reality and you may as well have a sense of it.)

As the siren roared I was sitting on the toilet. I have 30 seconds to get to my safe room and close the heavy door. These are my thoughts: ‘Do I wipe?’ ‘Not wipe?’ ‘How long does it take to wipe?’ This is insane. I have had enough of this already’.

Why am I telling you this? … Because this war is not just about the Oct 7th massacre, or the hostages… We are still living under rocket fire. It may not be news but unfortunately it’s our continued reality.

The end of the story is I am alive and can laugh about it.

Yesterday, I went to pay my respects at the site of the Nova musical festival, at the location of the charred cars (each one torched by Hamas after they killed or kidnapped the passengers) and to Sderot to see the destroyed police station. It was an exceedingly painful day. I felt a magnitude of loss and horror that shook me to the core. I know we will get through this.

February 2024

I just got back from Sderot moments ago. Tonight was a ‘welcome back ceremony’ for the Ethiopian population who returned to their homes in Sderot. It was emotional for me.

The Ethiopian community has many heroes. People of all ages had to leap 2,000 years in a single day. They flew to Israel and were settled into Sderot. Nearly all with limited language abilities. They have not acclimated to Israel and BOOM…. terrorists infiltrate their old them in Amharic it’s safe to come out. They did not understand the Hebrew speaking police who had speakers. They were than evacuated for 5 months to a hotel (never knowing when or if they will return) to their homes!

Follow up: Half an hour after I departed the welcome party, Sderot had a barrage of rockets.

March 2024

Our 3 grandkids along with our daughter in law have been in lockdown for 5 hours as a terrorist infiltrated their community. The terrorist shot at a minibus of Israelis and then ran off. Our son who is in the IDF reserves, and is part of the IDF response team, were sent to eliminate the terrorist. Helicopters, shooting…it just ended. The terrorist was killed. Seven IDF soldiers were injured in the process. Our son just got home.  We are so relieved and happy he is home safe!

—

Tonight we attended a beautiful wedding in the TLV Harbor. The scene was out of a Hollywood film set, plenty of food, lots of smiling, happy people overlooking the sunset of the Mediterranean Sea. The ceremony began, not with an MC or rabbi, but with the bride and groom. The groom spoke and all smiles were replaced with tears. The groom serves in a special IDF combat unit in Gaza. He spoke of the hostages being held in Gaza and the loss of his close friend who had been killed while serving. The groom explained that after a building has been bombed his unit has to search room by room for Hamas operatives (terrorists) still alive and hiding. The soldiers take turns to be the first one to enter the room, his childhood friend unfortunately got the bad door. It could have been him or any of the 15 members of his unit in attendance at the wedding. While the groom spoke each guest was given a yellow balloon. In unison we released the balloons for the release of the hostages, while saying the prayer of Shema. I had a lump in my throat and tears dripping down my cheeks.

April 2024

Back in October, when I was temporarily in Jerusalem, I went to honor the parents of the hostages who came to meet with the President of Israel for the first time. I was given a yellow ribbon when I stood outside. I kept the ribbon. Usually it hangs on our front door. Tonight it is on an empty chair at our Seder. The expression ‘Let our People Go’ resonates loudly. It’s chilling. – Wishing us all a joyous Chag and a gathering in Jerusalem soon!

May 2024

After a very difficult week of Yom Hazikaron (Remembrance Day), followed by more losses, more injured, still hostages, still rockets, international pressure, rising anti-Semitism, indifference, and political spins, it’s really hard for me to feel optimistic about the Jewish people’s future and Israel’s survival. The sacrifices are huge. It’s such a difficult time.

And yet there is beauty around me and kindness in the midst of the pain. There is an incredible amount of volunteering and generosity. Cooking, visiting wounded, solidarity missions etc.

I am heading to the beach, to the beautiful Mediterranean Sea, to frolic for an hour and enjoy the precious moments we have. Wishes for a Shabbat SHALOM to one and all.

June 2024

We went to another funeral. Yair Levine z”l, age 19, a cousin. His mother broke our hearts when eulogizing him and at the same time gave us strength in the midst of her pain.

My husband and I met 3 (of our 5) kids at the cemetery.  No one should have to go to funerals of young people! No one should have to stand bedside their own kids and bury their mates. We have so many heroes in this country. This is the second soldier we buried this week. May we know no more pain!!!

Two hours ago there were rockets/sirens in Ashkelon. Now the sky is rumbling with jets.

It’s an upside down world.

The Home front Command has issued preparedness instructions to the public. Prepare for 3 days with no electricity, water, or ability to replenish supplies. We need food, flashlights, important documents, medications etc…We are going through our stock and making lists. And life goes on as usual. Go to work, play and dream for better days!

Ashkelon has been quiet for two weeks. Thank Gd. We are seeing many soldiers come and go to/from Gaza. The beach and marina are a big destination. Our soldiers are true super heroes!

August 2024

We are waiting…

For Iran, Hizbullah, the Houtim and more to attack…

For our grandson to enter the world (week 41+)…

To pass the hours I am going to play Pickle Ball with friends this morning.

Smashing a few balls may help the world order…

Have a good day one and all. Take care of yourself wherever you are!!

Last night we had rockets launched at Ashkelon. This morning at Pickle ball my girlfriend shared her experience when the sirens sounded. She explained “We were watching the Olympics on TV and suddenly I had to do the 10 meter dash along with my 100 year old mother and husband on crutches”.  I got all choked up just thinking about the stress of moving her 100 year old mother and recuperating husband.  And yet, this morning there she was, playing PB at 8:00 a.m. and smiling. Now that is resilience!

September 2024

I have not heard anyone say they are sleeping well. We are all containing ourselves from thinking too much about the conditions of the hostages, our wounded, our kids/soldiers, the crazy world… And yet… I see lots of pregnant women. (Now you know how ppl are spending their time).

We are still one of the happiest nations in the world. We cherish life.

As I write this, DAY 339, I hear the skies rumbling with jets I am still going to take a walk along the beautiful beach.

I hope I gave you some sense of what life has been like in Ashkelon the past year.