LIFE ON THE BORDER // KIBBUTZ SURVIVORS FACE THE FUTURE

Putting together the winter 2024 issue of JR has taken us on a journey that many others have also been on since the horrific events of 7 October. Inside, our Letter from Israel correspondent Pam Peled expresses the howl of fury and grief that many of us have felt since last autumn. We also wanted to explore the myriad other ways that the events have affected those inside and outside Israel and Gaza. In David Leach's powerful essay on the future of Israel's kibbutzim, he speaks to Sofie Berzon MacKie, a survivor of the Hamas attacks on Kibbutz Be'eri and a talented photographer, whose images of the kibbutz before the October attack are currently on display at Jerusalem's Studio Of Her Own gallery – and feature on our cover. You can also read poems from two teenagers – one Palestinian and one Israeli – about how their lives have been affected by the conflict, and hear about the young Londoners who are getting tattooed to display their Jewish pride. Elsewhere we delve into the beauty and richness of Romanian Jewish culture with a tour of Bucharest and a reflection on the state of Jewish heritage in Romania; we hear from broadcaster Ed Stourton about the role of religion in today's society and speak to the director of a new musical about the Battle of Cable Street…