Izhar Shay
Father of Staff Sgt. Yaron ‘Noni’ Shay who was Killed in action in Kibbutz Kerem Shalom on the southern Gaza Strip border, on October 7th. ‘Next October initiative’
“On the occasion of his sixth birthday, I asked Yaron what he blesses himself with.
‘That I will live until God asks for me.’
That’s what he answered me, in a video filmed with a home camera, whose existence we forgot until we watched it after he fell in battle. A 6-year-old child who grew up in a secular home, wishing for himself to live until God asks.
And he lived until God asked for him. A wonderful life, full of happiness, love, and a deep care for others. He lived life as though there was no time, truly devouring it. As if he had to accomplish everything, like someone who constantly remembers that at some point, God will ask for him.
And then the time came. October 7th, ‘Shemini Atzeret’. And God indeed asked for him. And he knew why. Because this request, from God, saved the lives of so many. Babies, children, young parents, the elderly. And also soldiers. On October 7th, 2023, on the holy holiday of ‘Shemini Atzeret’, God asked for him, for our Noni, to be with Him.
More than a year has passed. The soul refuses to believe what the mind has already been forced to internalized. Our Noni is no longer with us.
But from the great pain and through the broken heart, despite the despair and the threatening emptiness, hope still arises. The feeling that not everything is lost, that there is a reason to wake up in the morning, get dressed, leave the house, and do.
This hope – we built it together as a family, through much hard work. We made a family decision that we will continue to live. We want to be happy, To move forward in life with purpose and meaning. Grief is with us, in every moment, every hour, every place. But we are also happy, creating moments of joy, together.
And we also created the ‘Next October.’ Initiative. It’s not just the name of a month that marks the start of the war. It’s also an initiative we thought about during the ‘Shiva’ for Yaron, a commemoration project in memory of all the victims of the ‘Shemini Atzeret’ War.
Innovative start-up companies are adopting the families of those who fell defending the homeland or were murdered in the horrific massacre. About 350 families have already been adopted by entrepreneurs who decided to take on this brave commitment. We will remember all those who lost their lives in the dreadful war forced upon us. And we will also create thousands of jobs and contribute significantly to the Israeli economy through these innovative companies. And this is also our message to the world: ‘They came to destroy, we create a better world through Israeli innovation.’
Israeli society needs comfort, healing for its wounds, and a great repair. We, at Next October, believe that spreading all this good is an important part of the national rehabilitation process. In order for the next October to be better, one must not only hope but also act. And we know that it will be better, and the October after it will be even better. The next October will always be better. This is our mission, this is our commitment. In the name of Noni, our beloved, and in memory of all those we lost in that October. The next October will be better.’