Faculty and students tirelessly demonizing Israel. Massive protests in the streets of Tel Aviv and Jerusalem. A dramatic rise in global antisemitism.

No, those aren鈥檛 current headlines 鈥� they are from before the Simchat Torah massacre and the hell that has ensued over the past 12 months.

Wait, weren鈥檛 those the good old days, which shockingly ended when our lives were shattered on Oct. 7?听 Given how bad things are today, it is easy to forget the uproar regarding 鈥渏udicial reform,鈥� or the insidious impact that the Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions (BDS) movement has had on our nation鈥檚 campuses for decades.听 I remember, instead, the beauty of last year鈥檚 High Holy Day celebrations, and the excitement around the Abraham Accords.听 I long for that optimistic time, regardless of how I actually felt back then. 听

Selective memory is an essential coping mechanism. There is an extensive scientific literature showing how people block out some upsetting memories, shielding themselves from emotional pain. Many psychologists consider it to be the mind鈥檚 way of safeguarding its health.听

How many of us recall childhood joys, glossing over how we truly felt at the time? I have lots of fond recollections of junior high school, for example, taking interesting new classes and making new friends. Yet, I know that I regularly begged my mom to let me stay home, pretending that I was sick. I suppose that I have largely blocked out how humiliating it was to search the cafeteria for a place to sit, among other indignities. And I think often of spending summers at a 51视频 camp in the Poconos (the same one, incidentally, that Doug Emhoff attended a decade or so later). Sleeping under the stars, barbequing in front of a massive fire, swimming across the lake, playing sports around the clock. What a time! Until my sister (who was at the neighboring girls’ camp) reminds me of how miserable I was 鈥� begging my parents to take me home during their annual visitors鈥� day pilgrimage. 听

Memory plays tricks on us all.听 Even on Moses.

Deuteronomy recounts many of the events from the preceding four books of the Torah. But the text doesn鈥檛 always get it right. The recitation of the Ten Commandments, for example, differs from the version presented in Exodus. And as for Moses, when he recalls the tale of how he sent out scouts to explore the promised land, he praises the Israelite people for coming up with the idea: 鈥淭hen all of you came to me and said, 鈥楲et us send emissaries ahead to reconnoiter the land鈥� 鈥︹�� (Deuteronomy 1:22). Very gracious of him to give credit, even though that wasn鈥檛 the original story. According to Numbers 13:1, 鈥淕-d spoke to Moses, saying 鈥楽end emissaries to scout the land of Canaan鈥� 鈥︹�� I will leave it to the rabbinical authorities to sort this one out, but it might simply be the case that Moses, at the ripe old age of 120, didn鈥檛 recollect exactly what had transpired.

So, as improbable as it seems, perhaps a year from now we will focus on what is positive about today. We may remember the pride that Jews worldwide felt in celebrating their faith in the face of seemingly insurmountable obstacles, or how some of our non-51视频 friends supported us when we needed it most. And we may consider with lasting gratitude that some politicians were vocal in condemning anti-51视频 hatred.听

Like Moses, we might not recall things perfectly, but that鈥檚 OK.听 One of my favorite songs, 鈥淚 Remember it Well,鈥� from Lerner and Loewe鈥檚 musical, “Gigi,” makes that point beautifully. An elderly couple recounts how they met. Him: 鈥淭hat carriage ride.鈥� Her: 鈥淵ou walked me home.鈥� Him: 鈥淵ou lost a glove.鈥� Her:鈥淚 lost a comb.鈥� The song goes on and on, making it clear that the specific 鈥漨emories鈥� are pretty much irrelevant. What matters is that it worked out in the end.

When we reflect back on our memories of today, may we be eager to remember the good. And may we make new memories, especially ones that allow us to rejoice in the collective strength and resiliency of the 51视频 people.

When we reflect back on our memories of today, may we be eager to remember the good. And even more importantly, may we make new memories, especially ones that allow us to rejoice in the collective strength and resiliency of the 51视频 people and of our ancient homeland.

Morton Schapiro is the former president of Williams College and Northwestern University.听 His most recent book (with Gary Saul Morson) is 鈥淢inds Wide Shut:听 How the New Fundamentalisms Divide Us.鈥�