Beth Emet School Holds Heartfelt October 7th Commemoration Ceremony united in remembrance, reflection, and hope
Remembering October 7th
The ceremony began with opening remarks from the Head of School, Mrs. Noemi Gozlan, who reflected on the magnitude of the loss and the importance of standing together as a community. “We gather today to commemorate the October 7th tragedy, to remember the victims, and to reflect on the immense loss and suffering of that day,” she shared. “It was the day that shattered our delusions of exemption from the famous statement in the Haggadah: In each and every generation they rise up against us to destroy us. And yet, as Dostoevsky wrote, The darker the night, the brighter the stars. The deeper the grief, the closer to God.”
During the ceremony, Mrs. Gozlan read excerpts from We Remember Them by Sylvan Kamens and Rabbi Jack Riemer, a timeless poem that speaks to the enduring power of memory. Her reading offered a moment of collective reflection as the community honored the lives lost, stood with the families of the victims, and remembered those who remain in captivity.
Mrs. Gozlan reminded students that at Beth Emet School, “we educate the mind and we also shape the soul.” She emphasized the school’s mission to help students think deeply, act kindly, and live with purpose. “In our classrooms, you are learning history with nuance, text with depth, and ethics with courage. You are discovering that to be a Jew means to be a guardian of human dignity, tzelem Elohim, the image of Hashem in every person,” she said. “Here, we teach you to answer questions and conflicts not with fear but with knowledge, not with silence but with voice, and not with isolation but with community.”
The ceremony featured a symbolic act of remembrance: the planting of handmade poppy flowers (kalaniot), the red blossoms that cover the fields of Israel’s south each spring, the region most affected by the events of October 7th. Created by Beth Emet’s Middle School students under the guidance of Art Specialist Ms. Casher, the poppies represent remembrance, resilience, and renewal. Middle School students paired with 4th and 5th graders to “plant” the poppies around the school’s trees, while parents placed heart-shaped marbles as a gesture of love and remembrance.
The program concluded with the 6th and 7th grade students performing “One Day,” followed by “Hatikvah,” Israel’s national anthem, led by Cantor Jan. The songs embodied a shared longing for peace and hope, a reflection of the Jewish people’s enduring spirit. In her closing words, Mrs. Gozlan reminded the community of resilience through faith and action: “Rabbi Yehuda HaChasid once said, I will build an altar from the broken fragments of my heart. This is the Jewish way. We remember. We mourn. And then we build and transform. Even as our hearts are shattered beyond recognition, we are the people of the glorious mosaic. Hatikvah means hope, because to be a Jew is to be an agent of hope.” Beth Emet School continues to stand in solidarity with Israel and the Jewish people, reaffirming its commitment to education, compassion, and the pursuit of peace.
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This press release has been written and distributed by Network Strategics
Maya Nissim
Beth Emet School
+1 954-680-1882
admissions@beesfl.com
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