Day 499 Of The War: A Tale Of Two Demonstrations

Last week was particularly difficult in Israel due to the appalling condition of the hostages who were returned as mere shadows of themselves, as well as the bombardment of manipulative declarations and threats that sent our collective mental state on a roller coaster, almost pushing it over the edge.

On Monday, I visited the exhibition Local Testimony 2024 again. During this second visit, I was even more impressed by the photographs and the curator’s artistic choices, which managed to present the devastation and destruction truthfully—powerful yet restrained, never slipping into kitsch or the pornography of death. It was difficult to watch, especially since we have a pretty good idea of what happened behind the scenes, and how it ended. Yet, I experienced a brief moment of joy while watching the video downstairs, which is dedicated to the younger generation of survivors. This time, when I saw the three daughters of Ohad Ben Ami, I already knew he had been returned to Israel two days earlier.

Later that day, I worked in the dining room at the families’ headquarters. The atmosphere there was especially gloomy, and the families who had returned from the Knesset in the afternoon were unusually quiet.

Yesterday, on Shabbat, three more hostages—Iair Horn, Sagui Dekel Chen, and Sasha Troufanov—were returned to Israel after 498 days in Gaza. My friend and I decided to go and protest at Begin. Last week, I ended my blog with a plea to unite the Begin demonstration with the rally at the  Hostages Plaza. But I have come to the conclusion that I was wrong. Sometimes, the whole is smaller than the sum of its parts.While the event at the plaza is a well-organized and carefully structured rally—a kind of ritual with a clear beginning, middle, and end—the protest at Begin is less formal and provides an opportunity to address our struggles from different perspectives and introduce additional topics. These issues are deeply connected to our plight but cannot be fully explored within the framework of Hostages Plaza.

Although I don’t necessarily agree with all the posters and signs displayed at Begin, I am glad they exist. They give me hope that we are still a democracy.

Bring them home alive—NOW!