The Space Between October 6 and 7

 

Since I moved to Israel after October 7th, my calendar has felt different.

My birthday is October 6th. It used to be a day about me—cake, calls from friends, that feeling of being seen. But now it sits just before the day everything changed. That proximity shifted something in me. I still celebrate, but it’s no longer just a pause for joy—it’s a moment to look around, to be grateful, and to feel the fullness of life with everything it carries.

 

One of the people I carry most deeply with me is my friend, Daniel Levi Z”L, who was killed in Be’eri. His memory lives in the stories we told, the photos we took, and the way his name still comes up in conversation. I think of him often, and it never gets easier. He was the kind of person who made everyone around him better—myself included.

 

Being here in Israel during this season of my life has shaped me. It’s made me more awake, more raw, more in love with this people and this land. And even though I’ll be heading back to Peru at the end of October, I know a part of me will always remain here—not in a passport or a social media post, but in the way I hold this place in my heart, carry its stories, and try to live with the same courage and care I’ve seen in the people around me.

 

This week, I’m just trying to stay present. To breathe in the small things: a walk along the tayelet, weaving through the city on my scooter, hearing “Shabbat Shalom” in every store on a Friday afternoon. These little moments ground me.

 

Wherever you are, and whatever this week brought you—I hope Shabbat gives you space to rest, reflect, and reconnect.

 

From Tel Aviv, with a full heart

 

Shabbat Shalom,

Daniel Niego