You Are Not Alone

In the wake of last weekend’s Hamas attack on Israel, Jews around the world have been following the news closely: rising death tolls, terrible stories of murder and hostage-taking, agonizing personal interviews with those who’ve lost loved ones. There’s hardly been a moment to step back and see how we actually feel about what we’re hearing and seeing.

Obviously, there’s no way to compare what people in Israel and outside Israel are going through—there’s the empathetic pang of reading about the attacks and then there’s the true horror of living through them. But it does seem that many Jews, even far from the Middle East, are in crisis, a sense of emotional upheaval about events far away.

And while we are all more connected than ever before, thanks to 24-hour news and social media, many of us are feeling alone right now, especially in the face of so much silence from people we thought would look after us, or check on us to ask how we’re doing, or even offer basic shows of support and kindness. We are connected to thousands of people online, yet many of us have never felt more lonely.

This even came up at a Tablet staff meeting this week. Our Executive Editor Wayne Hoffman chatted with our Chief Administrative Officer Samantha Hacker about what she’s been dealing with emotionally—have a listen and see if you can relate.

We’d love to hear from you about how you’re feeling this week—and how you’re coping with feeling isolated or misunderstood or simply ignored at a time when you need support. You can visit us on Instagram @tabletmag and add your own comments.