Day 380 Of The War: Sukkot Again

I spent last Sukkot at my home in Mitzpe Ramon, nestled in the desert mountains overlooking the Ramon Crater. As we enjoyed carefree days in the beautiful desert autumn, we suspected nothing. We had no idea that by the end of Hol Hamoed, on Simchat Torah, our world as we knew it would come to an end. But this Sukkot, again in the desert, I was able to relive all the days that preceded October 7, now armed with the horrible knowledge that the worst had happened, and there is still no end in sight.

Although Sukkot had not yet ended, I decided to return to Tel Aviv yesterday afternoon so that I could attend the rally at Hostages’ Square. It was the first rally since the war in the north began, though the protest of the hostages’ families at Begin Gate in Kaplan had continued, following police instructions regarding public gatherings.

This time, a friend and I decided to go directly to the square. The first thing I noticed was a huge, empty sukkah with set tables and chairs that could have accommodated the 101 hostages—both those still alive and those who are dead. Their absence was deeply painful. The speakers at the rally were family members of the hostages: a father, two mothers, and a young sister. One of the speakers was a hostage herself who had been released after 55 days, while her partner had been murdered.

The fact that family members still have to stand on stage and plead for the release of their loved ones is cruel beyond words. On the stage they read aloud the names of all the hostages, and the crowd shouted “NOW” after each name. A woman about my age stood next to me with a sign that read, “I am ashamed.” Her cries of “NOW” clearly indicated her devotion to the hostages. After we sang “Hatikva,” our national anthem, we marched together to the other demonstration for the release of the hostages, at Begin Gate. By the time we arrived, the speeches of family members  had ended, and we only heard the crowd shouting for the release of the hostages.

This time, the rally at Hostages’ Square was far less polite than usual. No one believes that this government is doing what needs to be done to free the hostages, and many of the speakers explicitly said that Netanyahu has been sabotaging deals for their release.

This morning, I volunteered again in the dining room at the Families’ Headquarters. I saw several family members there, and as always, I was amazed by their faith and inner strength. On top of waiting for their loved ones to return, many of them are evacuees who haven’t been home since October 7, 2023. Today, we served pasta. One family member told us about a pasta machine that he plans to get, once he finally has a home to return to. I wanted to hug him, but I remained silent, as though what he said was the most natural thing in the world