Jewish joy is the best form of resilience 

When does the Australian Jewish community shift from surviving to thriving? 

In December 2023, just weeks after October 7, I experienced two strikingly different responses in Melbourne and Israel. I found that the Melbourne Jewish community came together out of fear, while the communities in Israel united out of strength.

This was a mindset I hadn’t expected: one group was scared, the other was proud.

During this period, Israelis gathered to celebrate Channukah through activities like donut making. This wasn’t just a distraction from the pain – it was a way to keep on going. Meanwhile, the Melbourne Jewish community felt frozen, trying to process what had happened. In some ways, it felt easier to endure something myself in Israel than to worry about what my friends and family in Israel were going through.