It lingers, palpable and deep, holding on as if 365 days haven’t passed since that morning of October 7 at 6:29am. As if time itself stood still, even though life, on the surface, has moved forward.
For so many in Israel, there’s no returning to who they were before the massacre, after witnessing scenes reminiscent of the Holocaust, something no one ever imagined would happen again.
The Israeli cycling community felt the loss firsthand. Many riders found themselves fleeing for their lives along the deadly Route 232 that morning. Eleven of our friends did not survive.
Yet, as we witnessed on Saturday during the memorial ride and ceremony held on that very same road, the friends of the fallen are determined to hold on to life. To live: on their bikes, and in their memory. The trauma won’t disappear, but hope for peace will rise again.
Until then, and perhaps before all else, we yearn for the safe return of the 101 hostages still held by Hamas, including our friend Ofer Kalderon.
#RideToBringThemHomeNow
