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At services this past Shabbat, we had the traditional Yizkor prayers of remembrance as part of Shmini Atzeret and the end of our Fall holidays cycle. October 7 happened on that day in the Jewish calendar three years ago. To mark the occasion, I read a poem from a book that I highly recommend: Shiva: Poems of October 7 edited by Rachel Korazim, Michael Bohnen and Heather Silverman.

The back of the book has the following description and recommendations:

In the months following the horrors of October 7th, Israelis wrote poems to express the nation’s feelings and emotions. Well-known poets alongside new fresh voices appeared daily on social media and in the literary supplements of daily papers. They described the inability to speak; they gave voice to choked tears, rage and despair. This anthology includes 59 Hebrew poems printed alongside their English translations. Net proceeds of all sales will be donated to the Israel Trauma Coalition for their work with victims of October 7th and its aftermath.

“These pages take unimaginable pain and transmute them to art. The poems are powerful, important and remind us of the rawness and the resilience that poetry brings to our lives.” Rabbi David Wolpe, Emeritus, Sinai Temple

“These poems - of pain, betrayal, grief, generosity, courage and grace - cracked my heart open in the way that only broken fragments can do. Together they offer a window into the diverse responses of our Israeli family to this most devastating chapter in our history.” Rabbi Angela Buchdahl, Central Synagogue

“This is a heartbreaking collection of poems that brings words to the wordlessness of suffering. Each stanza takes the reader into a world of darkness and leaves us with shards of light.” Dr. Erica Brown, Yeshiva University

We have this volume in our library if you'd like to spend some time with these deep and devastating words.