A hymn for those who are back home today

Besides books, I have other items on my shelves. I’ve dedicated an entire shelf to Jewish objects — not a random corner, but the very background people see when I record my live podcasts.

Somebody once told me I might lose a few viewers because of it — as if my YouTube content wouldn’t put me into trouble. I’m grateful for that advice. It pushed me to double down: to make my shelf more unapologetically Jewish.

If there was one thing I would never remove, it was a poster with photos of some of the hostages. I promised myself I would keep it there until there were no longer any hostages alive in Gaza.

Today I removed it. I also took down a poster with a yellow star and the message “Never Again.”

Not because I believe the war has ended. I think this ceasefire is no more than a pause — a space for some of us to breathe, for Israel and Jewish communities in the Diaspora to recalibrate.

We should take the example of those who were in captivity and use their courage in our daily lives. It isn’t fair to live in fear. Those people — women, Holocaust survivors, the young and the middle-aged — endured conditions that would defy even Dante’s imagination.

Israel will continue to face a monster attacking from multiple fronts. Even if Hamas no longer rules Gaza, they could regroup in the West Bank or other volatile corners of the Middle East. The nation must be ready.

For now, the burden of seeking the hostages’ release has terminated. But survivors must not be abandoned: they should be carefully monitored and supported by professionals. Recovery is a lengthy process.

Let audacity and assertiveness be our motto going forward. Together, they will make Jews undefeatable.