On the eve of October 7th...

I’m sitting here staring at my computer screen, quite honestly, not sure of what I want to say.

365 days ago from this moment, we were all different people.

When we woke up on the morning of October 7th, we faced atrocities we never in our wildest dreams could have imagined. From what we witnessed, and the events that followed, we’ve been changed forever.

I want to remind you to take some time tomorrow. Mourn. Be sad, angry, and mad. Feel all the feelings. You owe that to yourself. What our family in Israel has been through, and what the Jewish community has experienced over the last year on a global scale, is unthinkable. You owe it to yourself to do what you need to do as we mark the first anniversary of October 7th.

There is no denying that tomorrow is an incredibly tough day.

And know, that you are not alone. Not even for a moment.

But when you wake up on October 8th, here is what I want you to remember.

I want you to remember that while you are not the same person as you were on October 6th, 2023, you are a better version of yourself. You’re stronger. You’re more confident. You’re more connected to the Jewish community.

I want you to remember and think about the strength of the Jewish community over the last 365 days. Have you ever seen anything like it before? I know I haven’t.

I don’t want you to think about the true colors people have shown of themselves in the last year. Instead, I want you to think about all of the incredible souls you’ve connected with, and how they’ve made your life better today, tomorrow, and how they will impact you forever.

I want you to think about what YOU are going to do to speak up and speak out for the Jewish community, and how you can contribute to the conversation to bring our 101 hostages home.

As a Jewish, American woman, this year has challenged me in ways I never thought possible. My grandparents, like many of yours, shared stories of antisemitism that they faced growing up. I never EVER thought that I would hear these stories again in my lifetime, but would be LIVING them too.⁠

BUT, as a Jewish , American woman, this year has also taught me so much about who I am. ⁠

I am a strong, resilient, fighter. I've spent years fighting for everyone else, and this past year was the year that I fought for myself and our family of 15.2 million. ⁠

This year has given me the confidence to use my voice in ways I never could have imagined, and to stand up in the face of hate---hatred I knew existed, but that I never realized quite how much so. ⁠

This year has shown me what is important and what we must do to protect not only the lives of future Jewish generations, but also of the lives of the righteous who are living among us. ⁠

As we march into the next year, we must take these lessons with us: To support the IDF, to BRING THE HOSTAGES HOME, and to ensure a future for our children that is brighter tomorrow than it was today. ⁠

Am Yisrael Chai.

Be kind to yourself today, tomorrow and always,

Lindsay Pinchuk Founder of The Chai Tea

P.S. As noted last week there will not be a regularly scheduled edition today. I will rerun BOTH of last week’s issues this week and we will be back with a new edition next Sunday.

⁠