Heidi Gantwerk contrasts San Diego Simchat Torah with October 7 memories

Jewish Federation of San Diego President and CEO Heidi Gantwerk published an essay detailing her community’s observance of Simchat Torah in San Diego, California, contrasted against her memories of the October 7, 2023, attacks in Israel. In her column, Gantwerk argues that modern Jewish resilience depends heavily on collective community support and shared remembrance of the tragedies that occurred three years ago.

Simchat Torah Celebrations in San Diego

Gantwerk describes participating in a Simchat Torah service in San Diego surrounded by congregants, family, and friends where she danced with a Torah scroll that her family helped write. During the celebration, hundreds of participants donned purple gloves to hold the unrolled scroll. Gantwerk writes that the experience illustrated a fundamental community truth, noting that a Torah can only be unrolled when a community is present to hold it.

The October 2023 Phone Call From Israel

The celebration starkly contrasted with Gantwerk’s memories of Simchat Torah morning in 2023, when she and her husband were vacationing in San Sebastian, Spain. Gantwerk recounts receiving an early-morning phone call from Lior Niski, then CEO of Sha’ar HaNegev, who informed her in tears that hundreds of terrorists had infiltrated kibbutzim, that Ofir had been murdered, and that the army was not yet present. Gantwerk states that the phone call marked a dividing line for her over the subsequent three years.

Response From the Jewish Federation of San Diego

Following the 2023 phone call, Gantwerk’s trip was cut short as she coordinated emergency responses from abroad. She details managing staff communications around the clock to support community members, authorizing immediate financial support through the organization’s board, and conducting media interviews regarding the casualties and hostages taken during the attacks.

An October 7 Resource Hub for the Community

To assist community members marking the three-year anniversary in different ways, the organization launched an October 7 resource hub curated by Community Shlicha Amit Levi. Gantwerk explains that the toolkit provides testimonies, songs, texts, and stories for personal reflection, classroom discussions, or family conversations. She notes that community leaders like Rotem Asaf in Sha’ar HaNegev continue to emphasize collective resilience and the ongoing choice to rebuild and choose life.