On the third anniversary of the October 7 attack, bereaved mother Perida Marciano urged Israelis not to return to the polarisation that preceded it. In a Ynet opinion column, she said she wants the country to honour the dead through concrete action.
Marciano wrote that losing her son, Itai Eliyahu, divided her life into “before” and “after.” She said the attack also damaged the sense of security among people who expected the state to protect them, and stressed that every person killed left behind relatives and a life changed that day.
She recalled the first days after the attack as a period of mutual aid, when people opened their homes and businesses, cooked, drove those in need, donated supplies and helped soldiers and civilians. For a moment, she wrote, it seemed possible to put what Israelis shared ahead of political differences.
Marciano did not call for an end to political disagreement. She said criticism and difficult questions are necessary in a democracy, while urging people not to turn disagreements into hatred or division. She called on the next Knesset to work on budgets, health care, education, security and other issues that affect families.
She also cautioned against turning her son’s death or the deaths of others into political slogans. In her view, the living should not speak too freely on behalf of those who died, but should consider what they will do with the legacy left behind.