Day 492 Of The War: Never Again?

When I was little, my parents regularly listened to the radio program Looking for Relatives. It was a list of missing people whose whereabouts were unknown after the Holocaust, and their relatives in Israel were searching for them. Their names were read at the end of the afternoon news.

I read that in 1968, the program was discontinued because it was assumed that the chances of finding missing relatives were practically nonexistent 23 years after the end of the war. Behind each name read aloud on the radio during those years was a world of suffering and longing—but also a glimmer of hope that the missing person might be found.

This program came to mind as I watched the return of the three hostages yesterday: Eli Sharabi, Ohad Ben Ami, and Or Levy. For a nation founded after the Holocaust, seeing their horrific condition with our own eyes triggered images we were certain we would never witness again.

All of them had been violently abducted from their happy and ordinary lives, only to return as shadows of themselves. Yes, the renowned historian Saul Friedländer wrote that nothing can be compared to the Holocaust, but October 7 shattered our belief in Never Again— and it all happened inside the land of Israel itself.

Yes, October 7 was just one day, but 491 days later, we know for certain that what we have been experiencing is another kind of Shoah.

Last Friday morning, I went to Hostage Square. The main stage was covered in yellow flowers,  and posters in honor of Itay Chen, the brave soldier who was killed in battle on October 7 and whose body has not yet been returned by Hamas. Itay’s parents, together with many of the families, are deeply involved in the struggle to bring back the hostages. It is both heartbreaking and inspiring to see the fight of these noble people. The entire square felt both festive and sorrowful.

Last night, I decided to return to Hostage Square and wondered whether it was time to unite the two demonstrations—the one in the square and the one on Begin Gate at least until all the hostages are brought home. And as we saw again yesterday  it has to be done now, we must at least honor that part of the promise Never Again.