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The Ultimate Victory: A Six-Year-Old Oct. 7 Victim’s Answer to Terror
An aerial view shows the bodies of victims of an attack following a mass infiltration by Hamas gunmen from the Gaza Strip lying on the ground in Kibbutz Kfar Aza, in southern Israel, Oct. 10, 2023. Photo: REUTERS/Ilan Rosenberg
When we hear the word victory, certain images come to mind. The FIFA World Cup Trophy lifted high in front of billions of viewers. An Olympic gold medal hung around the champion’s neck. The Wimbledon Trophy raised triumphantly on Centre Court as spectators leap to their feet. We imagine champions like Messi, Michael Jordan, Federer, and Phelps — figures so legendary that they need no introduction.
But this week, I was struck by a very different image of victory. One that puts all the other medals, trophies, and records to shame.
It was a photograph of a six-year-old girl getting on the bus for her first day of school.
Abigail Edan gets on the school bus – Credit Zuli Mor Instagram https://www.instagram.com/p/DODNPczERtr/
Her name is Abigail Edan. A dual Israel-Amerian citizen, Abigail’s home was invaded by Hamas terrorists on October 7, 2023 — and they murdered her parents in front of her eyes.
She survived by hiding under her mother’s body, only to be taken into Gaza and held hostage for 50 days. Freed that November, Abigail was later adopted by two October 7 survivors, Zoli and Leron Mor.
Nearly two years later, she is stepping onto a yellow school bus with her ponytail bouncing, backpack slung over her shoulders. No fanfare. No roaring crowd. Just a quiet everyday moment captured on camera.
But why do I consider this moment such a profound victory?
The timeless wisdom of the Torah offers an answer.
In this week’s portion, Ki Teitzeh, when describing the laws of war, the Torah uses the following words: “Ki Teitze L’Milchama Al Oyvecha.” (Deut. 21:10). Most English translations say “When you go out to war against your enemies.” But the Hebrew words “Al Oyvecha“ literally translate to “over” or “above” your enemies.
The Lubavitcher Rebbe explained the reasoning behind this curious word choice. In a battle, when two sides are on the same level, the fight is endless and no side wins. Only when one side rises “above” the other, particularly in the realms of strength, spirit, and conviction, can victory be secured.
The same applies in our internal conflicts. When we struggle with our negative inclination (the Yetzer Hara), unless the positive inclination has an overwhelming advantage, it’s easy to succumb to our negative impulses. It’s only when we tap into the infinite power of our soul, described in Hasidic texts as “an actual part of G-d” — that we draw on a power that is transcendent and unstoppable, ensuring victory.
Abigail’s story represents this triumph of spirit. On October 7, Israel’s enemies sought to destroy the Jewish people. Yet here is a child who persevered: alive, smiling, carrying a lunchbox, living her life to the fullest. Not just for herself, but indeed for her murdered parents. For this little girl, each act of normalcy is a greater accomplishment than any world record.
According to New York Times columnist Thomas Friedman, the key to Israel’s strength is in its ability to bounce back from tragedy. He noted that immediately following a terror attack, within just an hour, workers have already begun cleaning up the streets, repainting the sidewalks, and repairing the broken buildings. Throughout our people’s long history of persecution, after each attempt a nation made to expel or eradicate us, we proudly and joyfully bounced back, rising like a lion in full splendor.
As we approach Rosh Hashanah, may we recognize that true victory lies with each of us, in our indomitable resolve to pick ourselves each time we get knocked over. Victory lies in our commitment to try again this year, despite the previous year’s shortcomings.
This is our secret to survival, and we continue to stay strong for many years until the coming of Moshiach.
Rabbi Areyah Kaltmann is the executive director of Chabad Columbus and the Lori Schottenstein Chabad Center.
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After False Dawns, Gazans Hope Trump Will Force End to Two-Year-Old War
Palestinians walk past a residential building destroyed in previous Israeli strikes, after Hamas agreed to release hostages and accept some other terms in a US plan to end the war, in Nuseirat, central Gaza Strip October 4, 2025. Photo: REUTERS/Mahmoud Issa
Exhausted Palestinians in Gaza clung to hopes on Saturday that US President Donald Trump would keep up pressure on Israel to end a two-year-old war that has killed tens of thousands and displaced the entire population of more than two million.
Hamas’ declaration that it was ready to hand over hostages and accept some terms of Trump’s plan to end the conflict while calling for more talks on several key issues was greeted with relief in the enclave, where most homes are now in ruins.
“It’s happy news, it saves those who are still alive,” said 32-year-old Saoud Qarneyta, reacting to Hamas’ response and Trump’s intervention. “This is enough. Houses have been damaged, everything has been damaged, what is left? Nothing.”
GAZAN RESIDENT HOPES ‘WE WILL BE DONE WITH WARS’
Ismail Zayda, 40, a father of three, displaced from a suburb in northern Gaza City where Israel launched a full-scale ground operation last month, said: “We want President Trump to keep pushing for an end to the war, if this chance is lost, it means that Gaza City will be destroyed by Israel and we might not survive.
“Enough, two years of bombardment, death and starvation. Enough,” he told Reuters on a social media chat.
“God willing this will be the last war. We will hopefully be done with the wars,” said 59-year-old Ali Ahmad, speaking in one of the tented camps where most Palestinians now live.
“We urge all sides not to backtrack. Every day of delay costs lives in Gaza, it is not just time wasted, lives get wasted too,” said Tamer Al-Burai, a Gaza City businessman displaced with members of his family in central Gaza Strip.
After two previous ceasefires — one near the start of the war and another earlier this year — lasted only a few weeks, he said; “I am very optimistic this time, maybe Trump’s seeking to be remembered as a man of peace, will bring us real peace this time.”
RESIDENT WORRIES THAT NETANYAHU WILL ‘SABOTAGE’ DEAL
Some voiced hopes of returning to their homes, but the Israeli military issued a fresh warning to Gazans on Saturday to stay out of Gaza City, describing it as a “dangerous combat zone.”
Gazans have faced previous false dawns during the past two years, when Trump and others declared at several points during on-off negotiations between Hamas, Israel and Arab and US mediators that a deal was close, only for war to rage on.
“Will it happen? Can we trust Trump? Maybe we trust Trump, but will Netanyahu abide this time? He has always sabotaged everything and continued the war. I hope he ends it now,” said Aya, 31, who was displaced with her family to Deir Al-Balah in the central Gaza Strip.
She added: “Maybe there is a chance the war ends at October 7, two years after it began.”
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Mass Rally in Rome on Fourth Day of Italy’s Pro-Palestinian Protests
A Pro-Palestinian demonstrator waves a Palestinian flag during a national protest for Gaza in Rome, Italy, October 4, 2025. Photo: REUTERS/Claudia Greco
Large crowds assembled in central Rome on Saturday for the fourth straight day of protests in Italy since Israel intercepted an international flotilla trying to deliver aid to Gaza, and detained its activists.
People holding banners and Palestinian flags, chanting “Free Palestine” and other slogans, filed past the Colosseum, taking part in a march that organizers hoped would attract at least 1 million people.
“I’m here with a lot of other friends because I think it is important for us all to mobilize individually,” Francesco Galtieri, a 65-year-old musician from Rome, said. “If we don’t all mobilize, then nothing will change.”
Since Israel started blocking the flotilla late on Wednesday, protests have sprung up across Europe and in other parts of the world, but in Italy they have been a daily occurrence, in multiple cities.
On Friday, unions called a general strike in support of the flotilla, with demonstrations across the country that attracted more than 2 million, according to organizers. The interior ministry estimated attendance at around 400,000.
Italy’s right-wing government has been critical of the protests, with Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni suggesting that people would skip work for Gaza just as an excuse for a longer weekend break.
On Saturday, Meloni blamed protesters for insulting graffiti that appeared on a statue of the late Pope John Paul II outside Rome’s main train station, where Pro-Palestinian groups have been holding a protest picket.
“They say they are taking to the streets for peace, but then they insult the memory of a man who was a true defender and builder of peace. A shameful act committed by people blinded by ideology,” she said in a statement.
Israel launched its Gaza offensive after Hamas terrorists staged a cross border attack on October 7, 2023, killing some 1,200 people and taking 251 people hostage.
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Hamas Says It Agrees to Release All Israeli Hostages Under Trump Gaza Plan
Smoke rises during an Israeli military operation in Gaza City, as seen from the central Gaza Strip, October 2, 2025. Photo: REUTERS/Dawoud Abu Alkas
Hamas said on Friday it had agreed to release all Israeli hostages, alive or dead, under the terms of US President Donald Trump’s Gaza proposal, and signaled readiness to immediately enter mediated negotiations to discuss the details.