“No One Will Break Us”: The Unyielding Spirit of the Jewish People

On the night of May 14, 2024, Tzeela and Hananel Gez were on their way to the hospital, their hearts racing with the anticipation of new life. Their fourth son was on the way. Laughter, hope, and dreams filled the car.

Then, in a moment, the light was shattered. Terrorists opened fire on their car near their home in Bruchin.

Tzeela was fatally wounded in the attack. Her unborn baby was delivered by an emergency C-section at Beilinson Hospital and was rushed to Schneider Children’s Hospital – tiny, fragile, and fighting for his life.

Tzeela Gez

For 15 agonizing days, the entire Jewish people held their breath, whispering prayers for tiny Ravid Haim, the newborn who was targeted by terrorists before he had even taken his first breath. Tragically, he did not survive.

On May 29, Hananel stood at the gravesite of his beloved wife and newborn son, holding the baby’s body wrapped gently in a tallit. His voice cracked with overwhelming grief, but his words roared with eternal strength:

“Our hearts are broken—but no one will break us.”

At that moment, Hananel was not just a grieving husband and father. His declaration echoed through every Jewish soul – it wasn’t just about his tragedy. It was a timeless Jewish truth.

From the ashes of loss, the Jewish spirit rises.

After the destruction of the First Temple and the Babylonian exile in 586 BCE, Jews recreated spiritual life through Torah study, community prayer, and the rise of synagogues. Following the Roman conquest and the destruction of the Second Temple, Jews once again adapted, building a Judaism rooted in law, learning, and rituals.

During the Spanish Inquisition, when Jews were tortured, expelled, or forced to convert, many practiced secretly. The flames of Jewish identity flickered, but were never extinguished. In the shadow of pogroms and the Holocaust, Jewish communities still sang, prayed, and lit candles. Even in Auschwitz and in Siberia, Jews whispered the Shema.

Meaning Is Not a Luxury

Holocaust survivor and psychiatrist, Dr. Viktor Frankl, taught that those who found meaning, no matter how grim their circumstances, were more likely to survive. In the Nazi death camps, he observed that survival was not about physical strength. It was about spiritual endurance.

In his book, Man’s Search for Meaning, Frankl quoted Friedrich Nietzsche, a German philosopher. “Those who have a ‘why’ to live,” can bear almost any ‘how.’”

This insight aligns deeply with Jewish tradition. In Judaism, meaning is not a luxury, it is essential. Judaism constantly invites us to connect our lives to something greater than just ourselves.

Jewish resilience is not just about survival. It is about choosing life with meaning.

That is why Jewish resilience is not just about survival. It is about choosing life with meaning.

What makes Jewish resilience so powerful is that it is spiritual and practical. In Babylon, Vilna, Tel Aviv, and New York, Jews built schools, synagogues, and cultural centers – not just to survive, but to thrive. We sanctify time through Shabbat and holidays, creating sacred moments even in times of chaos. In ghettos and concentration camps, we still lit candles, said Kiddush, and whispered prayers – acts of defiance and dignity in the face of dehumanization.

We have always chosen life. That is our answer to those who seek to break us.

The founding of the State of Israel in 1948 stands as a powerful testament to Jewish resilience. Built by Holocaust survivors and visionaries, surrounded by enemies, and tested by war and terror, Israel not only survives – it flourishes. It is a beacon of culture, innovation, and spiritual rebirth.

Because no matter what, we do not let the darkness define us.

On October 7, 2023, Israel was forever changed. In one of the darkest days of terror in its modern history, over a thousand Israelis were slaughtered by Hamas in cold blood. Entire families were wiped out, music festivals turned into massacres, and towns fell silent under the shadow of death. Two hundred and fifty children, women and men were taken hostage into Gaza. It was a day meant to break the Israeli spirit.

They Tried to Break Us. They Failed.

From the ashes of that devastation, the people of Israel, global Jewry and other devoted supporters, rose as one – united in grief, love, and unshakable solidarity. Reservists dropped everything and rushed to the front lines without hesitation. Across the country, civilians packed care packages, cooked meals, and opened their hearts and homes to soldiers and displaced families. Hotels became shelters for evacuees from the south and north, and strangers became family overnight.

Jewish communities and organizations in the Diaspora and Israel’s supporters worldwide responded with an outpouring of love and aid,

Amid fear and loss, we did what we know best: we carried each other through the darkness and reminded the world, and ourselves, that the Jewish spirit cannot be broken.

Then a voice emerged – shaking, raw, but unwavering.

That voice belonged to Yuval Raphael, better known to the world simply as Yuval. Trapped under the bodies of friends who were murdered at the Nova music festival, Yuval survived for hours in the most unimaginable circumstances. She was surrounded by death, yet clung fiercely to life. For many, such trauma would lead to silence. Yuval chose to sing.

She chose to raise her voice on the world’s biggest music stage – the Eurovision Song Contest.

With grace, dignity, and a quiet strength forged in suffering and in the face of a hostile, biased world, Yuval stood before millions. She represented not only Israel, but every soul lost on October 7. In that moment, she became a living testament to the unbreakable spirit and enduring resilience of the Jewish people.

They can fire missiles, burn our homes, murder our families – but they cannot extinguish our Jewish spirit.

We are still here.

We will always be here.

We choose life.
We choose light.
We choose to sing.

The post “No One Will Break Us”: The Unyielding Spirit of the Jewish People appeared first on Aish.com.