Posted on January 21, 2024
My name is Rotem Reshef. I am 27 years old, and I was in the 2013 cohort of Bronfman. I was supposed to begin a master’s degree in developmental psychology in mid-October, but of course it was put off because of the unexpected war that descended on us on October 7th.
On that morning, my fiancé was enlisted to the military reserves. Since then, he has been on the Lebanon border, and I have been left alone in our home in Haifa with our two dogs. My family lives in a community next to the Lebanon border, and they have been evacuated by the state to a hotel, so I also cannot return “home” to be with them.
For the first days of the war, I was in total shock and deep upheaval. I felt a lack of security, uncertainty, anxiety, worry, and very deep sadness. And mainly, I was glued to the news from morning to night.
After that, I decided to get out of my house and volunteer. I supervised a national service group, whose usual counselor had been called to reserve duty. Together, we facilitated day care for children of evacuated families and of essential workers.
I feel like two opposing, parallel forces have been driving me during this time. On the one hand, there is the paralysis from October 7th; the absence of my partner in our shared home; the worry and anxiety for him, and for my family, and in general for the whole country and for my people; the deep sadness; and the change in life plans. On the other hand, there is a force of life that moves me and motivates me to somehow continue, to create some kind of new routine within the war, to exercise, to meet friends, to work, and to help others.
In the last two months, thanks to an amazing project of Bronfman, I have been visiting another Bronfman alum in Haifa, whom I did not know until now, three times a week. I help her with her two small children, since her husband has also been on reserve duty since October 7th. From the very beginning, both of us felt that we had a great connection, that we were in a “Bronfman”-like space… inclusive, attentive, supportive, pleasant. Beyond me being there for her with her children, we were there for each other emotionally. We shared; we asked each other advice; we listened; we unloaded our feelings; and mainly, we felt that, for a moment, we were not alone, despite the situation. This week, we need to say goodbye because my studies are starting, but I feel like I could not have spent my time in a more fitting, fulfilling way.
