I am a mother of five, a grandmother of five and a volunteer with ZAKA, the Israeli rescue and recovery organization whose mission is to provide final dignity to those who die in war, terror attacks and disasters. I was born in Kyiv, raised in Israel’s Gaza Envelope, and for years I have lived between two homelands — Ukraine and Israel. I have seen war in both places. I have seen suffering. But nothing prepared me for Oct. 7, 2023.

That morning, my husband and I — celebrating the holiday with our children and grandchildren in Israel — were woken by sirens. We were in Beit Shemesh, a city far from Gaza, where sirens are rare. But something felt deeply wrong. ZAKA’s radio was full of panic. Within hours, we were headed south, still dressed in our holiday clothes. We thought we might be able to help. Maybe there were people we could save.

Our first stop was Barzilai Hospital in Ashkelon. Bodies were already arriving, one car after another. The hospital parking lot had become a temporary morgue. We helped process and identify the dead. Then we were asked to join a team heading to the site of the Nova music festival. My husband volunteered. I went too. We always go together.

As we drove down to Re’im, the nightmare unfolded before us. Bodies were scattered along the roadside. We stopped to move them to the........

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