SAR Marks Three Years Since October 7

On Wednesday, October 7, SAR Academy and High School marked three years since the attacks of October 7, 2023, with programs centered on remembrance, resilience, and responsibility. Students, faculty, and staff welcomed Nova Music Festival survivors Tomer Meir and Millet Ben Shabat, whose stories offered powerful messages of gratitude, courage, and hope.

At SAR Academy, students gathered on the school’s steps for Tehillim, reflection, and song, including performances by the Middle School choir. Throughout the day, students participated in age-appropriate programming, with Middle School students hearing directly from Tomer and Millet. The survivors described fleeing the festival, hiding for their lives, and losing friends and family. Alongside these painful memories, they spoke about the blessing of survival and their deep gratitude for the kindness and courage of those who helped them.

At SAR High School, the community gathered for a solemn commemoration that explored both the enduring grief of October 7 and the responsibilities it places on the current generation. In an interview, Tomer and Millet shared their experiences and spoke openly about processing trauma and finding strength through faith, community, and purpose. The program concluded with an invitation to turn remembrance into action and embrace students’ place within Knesset Yisrael, the global Jewish family bound together by covenant and shared destiny.

That sense of connection will take shape through SAR High School’s new Peoplehood Project, which will collect and celebrate the heritage of SAR families. Through stories of countries of origin, family traditions, heritage languages, and cherished memories, the project will highlight the diversity and vibrancy of Knesset Yisrael within the SAR community.

Throughout the commemoration, remembrance was paired with a call to move forward with purpose. Ms. Shuli Taubes, a Judaic Studies teacher and department chair at SAR High School, encouraged students to make space for grief, find the courage to hope, and answer the call of Knesset Yisrael through their words and actions. Three years after October 7, her message invited each student to consider how they can support the Jewish people and help shape their shared future.