Oct. 7 survivor shares story one year later

By Jake Tiger

Liron Hacohen said life in Kfar Aza, the Israeli village she lived in, was “95% heaven and 5% hell.” 

She described a social, beautiful community situated two kilometers away from Gaza as images of lush, emerald farms flashed on a screen behind her.

Once a year or so, rocket sirens would cut through the tranquility, signaling another attack from the neighboring Gaza strip. Everyone would take shelter while Israel’s Iron Dome intercepted the attack, and life would resume soon after.

On Oct. 7, 2023, though, Kfar Aza as Hacohen knew it changed forever: “It wasn’t heaven anymore. It was 100% hell.”

Hacohen, a survivor of the attack last year, shared her story at Rider on Oct. 9, recounting a day that killed 1,200 Israeli people, according to the U.S. State Department.

Rider’s branch of Hillel, an international Jewish campus organization, held the event as part of its “Faces of Oct. 7” series, where survivors visit the university to share their perspective on a day U.S. President Joe Biden called “the deadliest day for Jewish people since the Holocaust.”

The event was held in the Mercer Room in Daly Dining Hall, and the crowd of around 50 attendees was a mix of people from various groups, namely members of the Rider community, including President Gregory Dell’Omo, as well as representation from Adath Israel Congregation, a synagogue on the other side of Lawrenceville Road.

Public Safety officers were stationed outside the building and at the entrance inside the dining hall.

Rider Hillel President Ethan Handelman, a senior education major said, “No matter what you believe in, it’s important to educate. … Whether you agree with me or disagree with me, education is the best tool there is to spread awareness on campus. … There’s a right way to communicate with people, and it doesn’t always have to be political.”

The attacks were carried out by Hamas, a Palestinian organization that the State Department declared a terrorist group in 1997.

The day sparked a still-raging war between Israel and Hamas that, during the past year, has killed 42,603 Palestinians, according to Gaza’s Health Ministry, and about 1,200 additional Israelis, according to the Israeli Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

Hacohen woke up at 6:30 a.m. Oct. 7, 2023, to the sound of sirens and explosions and quickly noticed that the bombings were louder and heavier than the usual, yearly attacks. She grabbed a kitchen knife, water, and she and her family headed for the shelter in their home.

“It was very chaotic,” Hacohen said. “It was like [Grand Theft Auto]. It was like [the] end of the world.”

They spent hours texting other family members in Israel who sheltered. Hacohen received a pair of texts reading, “They are in our house. … Run away. We love you.” Over the course of the day, family members stopped responding. 

Hacohen and her family spent 22 hours in hiding before the Israeli Defense Forces rescued them at 2 a.m. the next day. They were told to run and only look straight ahead, as death and destruction lied to either side of them.

Two weeks prior to the attack, Hacohen said she celebrated her 30th birthday, receiving a Star of David necklace from her father as a gift. At the time, she did not feel a strong connection to her Jewish identity and almost gave it back to her father. Over a year later, she was wearing it when she spoke at Rider and recalled clutching it tightly as she prayed for safety on the day of the attack.

After Hacohen’s recounting of Oct. 7, 2023, a Q&A portion began, and while Handelman stated he did not want the event to become political, different perspectives slowly emerged until attendees were giving their varying opinions on the war.

One audience member, who was Jewish, was righteous in his defense of Israel, saying, “the world has a lot to gain from a Jewish victory” and Palestinians “forget who they are every 300 years.”

Another audience member, who was also Jewish, retorted by saying people must pray for coexistence, and Israel should not “bludgeon every last enemy.”

Hacohen has also shared her story at other schools in the northeast this month, including Stony Brook University, Drew University, Hofstra University and Binghamton University.

On Oct. 16, the leader of Hamas, Yahya Sinwar, who orchestrated the Oct. 7, 2023, attacks, was killed by an Israeli airstrike, according to the IDF. It remains unclear whether Sinwar’s death will lead to a ceasefire or escalation.