Sunday, June 15, 2025
Ron Segev attended the Nova Music Festival in Israel with friends and family on Oct. 7, 2023, when gunfire erupted. For hours, Segev, 39, and his brother carefully avoided death before he noticed his friends were left behind, so he turned back to rescue them. He came all the way from Tel Aviv to the Merrick Jewish Centre on May 14 to share his story of ongoing trauma recovery at before an audience of 100 local residents.
Since the Hamas-led massacre during the festival, Segev has become an outspoken advocate for mental health awareness, inspired by his own experiences with post-traumatic stress disorder and mental health.
“We’re honored to have invited Ron to come back and speak with us tonight, to speak not just about his mental health journey as a result of his experience on Oct. 7, but that of all of Israel,” the Jewish centre’s rabbi, Josh Dorsch, said.
According to Rabbi Dorsch, the Oct. 7 attack that killed 1,200 civilians was “transformational in really terrible ways, but really powerful ways, and it says something about us.”
“Ron’s story is so compelling and so powerful, and it really highlights the fact that October 7 really just wasn’t one terrible thing,” he said. “It really had a lasting impact and effect on all of Israel and all of the Jewish community.”
Segev’s discussion at the synagogue in Merrick focused on his mental health journey, as well as the mental health of survivors of traumatic experiences.
“After Oct. 7, there was chaos in Israel,” Segev said. “No one knew what was going on. No one really took responsibility for the survivors that needed therapy.”
Segev described the common symptoms of trauma, including denial, disbelief, confusion, difficulty concentrating, anger, mood swings, anxiety, guilt and shame, as well as social isolation and disconnection. He detailed his experience with post-traumatic stress disorder, resulting in depression and recurring nightmares.
“I keep waking up, sweaty, afraid, scared,” he said. “I lost confidence in myself that I can really heal, and part of my therapy was to deal with those thoughts and slowly go back to positive thoughts and not try to limit my mind.”
Over the past few years, Segev has been able to speak in favor of therapeutic treatments for trauma victims in Israel, and has seen his symptoms improve.
“I want to say that I’m still in the process,” he said. “It’s not over, and it will take many years to completely heal. There are many ups and downs when you go through something like this.”
Segev has received more than 50 treatments with psychologists. He added that he views Israel’s small number of therapists as a barrier to taking care of the mental health crisis connected to the war in Gaza.
“There are so many ways to deal with trauma, but they all begin with going to psychologists and start the therapy,” he said.
As an honorary member of the Merrick Jewish Centre, Segev told the Herald he wants to take this opportunity to encourage people to take care of their mental health.
“We brought him in to speak last June,” Allison Sussman, the synagogue’s executive vice president and acting president, has told the Herald. “He shared his full testimony last June at the Merrick Jewish Centre. We had about 250 people there to see him and hear him. Everyone was inspired by his story and by his heroism.”
Sussman is part of the centre’s Israel Connection Committee, which supports initiatives for Israel and helps congregants to connect with Israel.
“It’s our duty, our obligation to support our brothers and sisters in Israel,” Sussman said. “We need to be loud, we need to advocate for them, and we also need to advocate for our safety and our freedom as Jews.”
