Swords of Iron, Words of Iron

Charavot Barzel, the war called Swords of Iron that followed October 7, exacted so many painful sacrifices. But amid the darkness of war we saw pinpricks of light, in acts of heroism, bonds of mutual responsibility, and books of war that speak volumes

The Latin word publicatio, originally meaning “belonging to the people,” has inspired many words in English: public, publicity, the cheery British pub — and of course, the words publisher, publishing, and publications.

In Hebrew, the word for publishing has a completely different root: motzi l’or, literally, to bring to light.

October 7, 2023, was a black, dark day for our people. The two years following were also heavy with darkness, with hundreds held hostage in Gaza, deadly missiles flying throughout Israel, anti-Semitism rampant around the world, and of course, news of soldiers — sons, husbands, brothers, friends — wounded or killed Rachmana litzlan.

And yet, through the darkness, so much light came into our world. There were incredible amounts of chesed and heroism, open and hidden miracles, and our enemies weakened, if not vanquished.