Day 675 of the War: Israelis Continue to Protest
Last week, I was away for several days. A friend and I drove to the Galilee, to Abirim, a small village high up in the mountains, and stayed there in a small cabin. Although it may sound disconnected from our current reality, I would never have gone there if it weren’t for the war.
Several months after October 7, I read a post written by someone from Abirim. He shared a sad but typical Israeli story: he and his family had moved to Abirim to live in a beautiful rural area and host guests in small cabins. They invested a lot of time, money, and effort into this new endeavor. Then came October 7. Everything stopped, and their area became a war zone.
The writer asked readers to buy gift cards to stay in their cabins once the war ended. Sadly, that hasn’t happened yet—but at least the north is gradually returning to normal.
The vacation in Abirim was fantastic. For non-Israelis, being up in the green mountains, surrounded by peace and quiet, and driving along winding rural roads to the Sea of Galilee might seem unremarkable. But for us, at this time, a bit of serenity and beautiful nature within Israel is a big deal.
Later that week, I was back at the Families Headquarters, where the families cannot escape or distance themselves from our tragedy—not even for a moment.
On Thursday evening, while protests took place all across Israel against Netanyahu’s decision to expand the war, instead of ending it and saving the hostages, a very special event was held at the Beit Ariela Library, which is located on Hostages Square. It was the launch of the book by Sivan and Shani Klingbail, “I Am From Nir Oz.” Nir Oz was the kibbutz that suffered the most on October 7—one fourth of its population was either murdered or kidnapped.
The sisters, Sivan and Shani, were born and raised in Nir Oz and later left the kibbutz. They interviewed many past and present residents about their childhoods in Nir Oz and about where they were on October 7. It is a fascinating and heartbreaking book.
The conversation on stage at the launch event centered on the notion of home. One member of the panel spoke about life in Nir Oz. Lior Perry said that, for him, home was the entire area inside the kibbutz.
Home was an appropriate theme for the evening because, despite the wide range of perspectives and opinions expressed in the interviews, everyone regarded Nir Oz as their home. It is not surprising, then, that on October 7 — and for a long time afterward — they dropped everything, set their lives aside, and showed up to help their home and community.
On Saturday night, I attended the “Rage Protest” at the Begin Gate. It was a very sad protest, but I felt relieved to see that so many Israelis continue to persevere and protest. We have no other choice.
