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Orna Raz

Day 375 Of The War: Vivian Should Have Been Here

Vivian A Woman Wage peace courtesy of Zeev Engelmayer
Vivian A Woman Wage peace courtesy of Zeev Engelmayer

Last Sunday, in the morning hours, my flight from Prague landed at Ben Gurion Airport. The plane was supposed to leave at 11:45 p.m., but the departure was delayed until 2:25 a.m. On the plane, we heard that these unannounced delays have been routine over the past month, as airlines prefer to avoid the risk of landing in Israel during the night. It was a grim reminder of our current reality.

In the afternoon, I arrived to volunteer at the headquarters for the hostage families. Secretly, I had hoped that in my absence, by some miracle, there might have been a breakthrough in the effort to release the hostages. But even though more than a year has passed, nothing like that has happened.

That evening, the headquarters held a reception for foreign diplomats stationed in Israel. As a volunteer in the dining area, some of us helped with the preparations. The food and drinks were donated by activist business owners, and the entire reception was organized by volunteers. Family members spoke and appealed to the diplomats, asking for their help in securing the release of their loved ones. It was truly tragic that, in order to hold the attention of those who might have influence, the headquarters had to host a reception where family members had to plead their case once again. They must be so exhausted.

On Sunday night, we faced yet another major tragedy when a UAV exploded over the dining room of a military recruit base in central Israel, killing four soldiers and wounding many others. This horrible event highlighted the shortcomings of these new combat technologies.

On top of all this, there was something relatively small that deeply wounded me and left me speechless. A few days ago, the two directors of the peace movement Women Wage Peace received an award on behalf of the movement from the Clooney Foundation. In a time of depression and endless war, it was a sad yet hopeful gesture. However, in Israel, the social media manager of a major television personality—who poses as a journalist and is an ardent supporter of Benjamin Netanyahu—chose to tweet a photo of the two directors with George Clooney and his wife, the human rights lawyer Amal Clooney, adding a shockingly nasty comment: “It’s a pity that Vivian couldn’t be there.” My initial reaction was that, yes, Vivian should have been there to receive the recognition for Women Wage Peace, and it really stung. Then I realized that the comment, made by an ultra-Orthodox woman (from whom we somehow expect more compassion), was actually a cruel, cynical mockery of Vivian’s life’s work and her tragic murder.

On October 7, Israel, the Jewish people, and humanity itself faced a true holocaust. Healing will only happen if we remember what it means to be human.
P.S. Social media doesn’t  help in this mission, quite the contrary.

Thank you Zeev Engelmayer for your wonderful art and activism, and for allowing me to use the postcard of Vivian, a woman wage peace.

About the Author
I hold a PhD in English Literature from the Hebrew University in Jerusalem, specializing in writing about issues related to women, literature, culture, and society. Having lived in the US for 15 years (between 1979-1994), I bring a diverse perspective to my work. As a widow, in March 2016, I initiated a support and growth-oriented Facebook group for widows named "Widows Move On." The group has now grown to over 2000 members, providing a valuable space for mutual support and understanding.
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