Day 394 of the War: Meanwhile The Homefront

The dining room team at the headquarters for the families, which consists solely of volunteers, is quite large. There are 73 names in our WhatsApp group, and most of us work one or  two shifts a week, including weekends, holidays, and late evenings, as we serve three meals a day. If someone misses a meal, there is always food available and someone in the dining room to help prepare a meal.

We are located on the basement floor (-2) of an office building in the center of Tel Aviv, very close to the Hostage Circus. Some volunteers have been there practically from the beginning (just a few days after October 7). Others, like me, joined after our initial volunteering tasks were completed. Immediately after October 7 I  started volunteering in a vegan restaurant that provided meals for vegan reservists and evacuees, and worked  there for four months, five days a week.

The purpose of this introduction is to provide context for an activity that took place in -2 last Friday morning. Our supervisor always feels a sense of responsibility for our well-being and strives to create opportunities for us to relax and recharge. To that end, he periodically organizes fun activities for the volunteers. The last event was a chocolate-making workshop, followed by group discussions with members of the “Resilience Team,” which consists of various therapists who, like us, volunteer at headquarters and support our mental health.

The name of the activity was “-2 is More Than a Floor.” It was a very enjoyable morning; the chocolate-making activity was fun, and we created a chocolate bar for ourselves while also managing to produce candies for the families. Afterward, our supervisor invited a representative of the families to speak with us. We met Sharon Sharabi, whose two brothers were kidnapped and taken to Gaza. Sharon’s short speech brought tears to my eyes. He expressed that while he must devote all his efforts to bringing back his brothers and the other hostages, it is essential to have support. He told us that we represent the goodwill of the people of Israel, which gives him strength. His perspective on our role in the struggle to bring back the hostages was truly inspiring.

Then we sat in groups and talked about our feelings in connection with our role in the headquarter. It was not surprising to hear that all of us longed to do more for the hostages and felt paralyzed and deeply frustrated by our inability to do so.

Last night, I went with a friend to demonstrate for the return of the hostages. As we crossed Kaplan Street on our way to the Hostage Circus, we joined a march organized by members of the “Standing Together” movement, who carried signs calling for an end to the war and the return of the hostages. It was encouraging to see so many young people among them. At the Hostage Circus, the rally felt like a protest, which gave me hope about the future . We should all be proactive and determined, protesting in the streets until we finally see the hostages returned.