Dear Colleagues - 333 | Carmel Pelunsky

Dear Colleagues

Depending on what is going on in your life, you may or may not be aware that a few weeks ago, on the 20^th August, Israel recovered and returned the bodies of six hostages, Chaim Peri, Alex Dancyg, Yagev Buchshtav, Nadav Popplewell, Yoram Metzger, and Avraham Munder.

On the 27^th August, they rescued the hostage, Farhan al-Qadi. He had spent over 300 days in tunnels reportedly in complete darkness and latterly, in a tunnel rigged with explosives to prevent him from escaping. He was alive and his family sprinted to meet him at the hospital with gratitude and relief.

And just last week, on the 1^st September, the IDF discovered the bodies of six hostages who had been shot in the back of the head multiple times from close range as part of their brutal murder. You may remember I mentioned Carmel Gat a few months ago. Carmel was an occupational therapist who had come to visit her mother when she was taken hostage. She was one of those executed. The others were Alexander Lobanov, Almog Sarusi, Eden Yerushalmi, Hersch Goldberg-Polin, and Ori Danino. May their memories be a blessing.

It is likely that wherever you work in the world, your Jewish colleague(s) are living somewhere between a sense of anguish and a world of frustration and outrage right now. If you ask, each will have a slightly different perspective on how to make sense of this time and what is required to move forward. Israelis are debating this every moment of every day.

What can you do to help?

Simply ask your Jewish colleagues what they need right now, and listen.

A few weeks ago, I was nervously sitting with an ex-colleague as the topic of Israel came up in our conversation. I held my breath because I know we likely differ on how we understand the issues and the possible solutions. But she simply asked me, ‘What do you need right now?’ I was grateful beyond words. It meant I did not need to defend my position or argue a point or explain a political stance. I could just be with her and describe my sadness and pain and fears. Beyond how it helped me, it helped our friendship.

There is a space for activism and so much of that is needed right now. There is a space for political views and so many of those need to be debated right now. There is a space for the humanitarian vaccination of children in Gaza as is happening right now. And there also needs to be a space for empathy and care towards your Jewish colleagues. That is what they need right now.

There are still 66 hostages we believe to be alive, and 35 bodies, that need to come home to their families immediately.

Below is the link to one mother’s eulogy at her son’s funeral if you care to get a sense of one perspective.

https://www.timesofisrael.com/my-sweet-boy-hersh-we-tried-so-desperately-to-save-you/

Carmel