Rabbi Doron Perez, President of the World Zionist Organization, told attendees at the Jerusalem Post Conference in New York that while the tragic events of October 7 represented a low point in Jewish history, the bravery and courage exhibited by the Jewish people were inspiring. “It was both the worst day in modern Jewish history, but also the greatest,” he said.
“Thousands of young men and women – soldiers and civilians alike – came and did everything that they could to defend Israel, and until today, on every single border around Israel as we know it, and in every single community, Jews are standing up. We saw a self-sacrifice, a courage and a commitment, a certain bravery that perhaps we had doubted exists with the Jewish people.”
Rabbi Perez’s address at the conference came against the backdrop of his personal story, which has resonated deeply throughout the Jewish world since October 7, after his son, Captain Daniel Perez, was killed during the Hamas attacks and later confirmed to have been taken hostage and murdered. Since then, Perez has emerged as one of the prominent voices speaking about Jewish resilience, faith, and unity in the face of tragedy.
He concluded his remarks by citing the words of Rabbi Yaakov ben Asher (c.1270-1340), the author of the code of Jewish law known as the Tur, who wrote that the most important quality for a Jew is to have backbone and to be courageous. “The most important quality,” said Perez, “ is that if you want to stand for something, if you want to know what truth is to be a Jew, we have to know how to stand up. This is our great charge today. We have an opportunity to take the spirit of October 7 – of Simchat Torah – not only the pain and the brokenness – but the tremendous bravery of our soldiers and civilians, and of Jewish communities all around the world. Our aim is right now to stand up. There will be protests from now on at every Jewish event and anyone who stands up for Israel. But that's okay. We've dealt with much greater things than that. We need to be brave and not brazen. We need to be courageous and confident and not arrogant. To stand up with backbone, and to live with courage.”
This article was written in cooperation with the World Zionist Organization.