MADISON, Wis. — On Monday, Scott Forester scrolled social media during a brief break from work. Sitting in his Madison office, he looked through pictures of his 2023 trip to Israel where he went to visit his daughter Rena, who lives there.
On his Facebook Memories, Forester saw a picture of him and Rena that was taken on Oct. 6, the night before the attacks.
“It is amazing to look at it (the picture) and know less than 12 hours later the world changed,” said Scott Forester.
Forester was in Israel on Oct. 7, 2023 and was with his daughter. He was able to get a flight home to Madison, but Rena remained. Now, they talk regularly via video chat. One year after the attacks, they shared stories of what it was like to be there.
“I am glad I was with her on October 7th. I never imagined finding myself in such a situation. I think I worried less being there than if I was here really not knowing what was going on,” said Scott Forester.
“Dad and I, we have spoken about that this experience being in Israel together on October 7th, 2023 really brought us together,” said Rena Forester. “I’m a yoga teacher and a healer, and I have been able to use my tools to help people with really serious and acute trauma. I give a lot of thanks to my family for making it possible for me to have the resources to resource myself enough that I am able to provide these resources to other people.”
A year after the attacks, Rena, along with others impacted by the war, worries about her safety. Still, she said she, and others, work to have some sense of normalcy.
“The other day, yesterday morning literally as I was waking up, we went to the bomb shelters and then as the day went on, some of my neighbors were having a barbecue and they invited me. That is also a part of what is happening, people are finding ways to have fun and be together,” said Rena Forester.
Scott Forester still worries about his daughter staying safe, but tries to be optimistic about the future. He hopes that over the next year peace can come.
“This last year was a lot of curses, bad things, and my hope is that this next year all this will lay the groundwork for some good things, some blessings,” said Scott Forester.
Rena and Scott said while they are concerned about the risks that come with the war in Israel, they also are concerned about the rise in Antisemitism seen in the United States and around the world.