10/07/2026
Today is my birthday.
And if I'm honest, this day has become complicated for me.
October 7, 2023 changed the meaning of this date forever. The massacre and violence against innocent Israelis, followed by the enormous suffering and devastation that has continued since, makes it impossible to celebrate this day without also remembering the lives that have been lost and the families whose lives have been forever changed.
For a while, I wondered how I could ever feel joy about my birthday again.
But perhaps the answer isn't to forget the darkness.
Perhaps it's to choose what we want to bring into the world despite it.
So this year, I'm choosing hope.
I'm choosing to remember that while conflict makes headlines, there are also people doing something different that doesn’t make mainstream news or social media.
Israeli and Palestinian young people playing sports together through amazing organizations like Equalizer. Or adults across all religions and nationalities coming together to create conversations and support peace initiatives, listening to one another and building genuine relationships. This is how we remember we share common goals as humans. The loudest disruptive voices usually do not represent the majority. And, one’s government’s choices do not reflect the values of all!
People working across borders on shared environmental and water challenges.
Educators, community leaders, therapists, and ordinary people creating opportunities for cooperation instead of division.
These stories may not always get the same attention because peace, cooperation, and human connection sadly don't generate the clicks that conflict does.
But they matter most.
And I believe they deserve to be seen.
On my birthday, I don't want to celebrate simply another year of my own life.
I want to celebrate the possibility of a world where humanity becomes louder than hatred, cooperation becomes stronger than division, and peace becomes something we actively build not just something we wish for. I choose love of life and love of the beauty of diversity.
I grieve for every innocent life lost.
I pray for the families still carrying unimaginable pain.
And I hope that someday, this date will be remembered not only for the horror that happened on it, but also for what people chose to build afterward.
Hope is not ignoring reality.
Hope is choosing to believe that reality can change.
That's the birthday gift I want to give myself this year:
Hope. Humanity. Peace. And a belief in a better future for all. ❤️