As Sukkot and the anniversary of the Oct. 7 attacks approached, I received separate emails from two different Jewish organizations using what to me was an unfamiliar use of the word “holding.”

The first, from the progressive group New Jewish Narrative, had the subject line “Holding complexity on October 7th.”

The second, from the women’s educational group Svivah, read, “Holding Their Light, Holding Our Loss.”

In each case, I could imagine a synonym that might work just as well, like “offering” or “providing” nuance, or “remembering” their light and “mourning” our loss.

But I trusted both organizations in their use of language, and I’m glad I did. I did some research into the term “holding” and found that it has become widespread among many Jewish writers and activists, usually in thera

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