Dear Yarden Bibas

For over 500 days, your wife’s concerned face clenching your two children has haunted me.

It’s not the type of haunting from a Halloween scare, but one that made my stomach empty, my throat dry, and my eyes wet.

As a parent of two young children, I know our gravest fear is to have our children be in danger.

Last week, I was taken aback by Israel’s release of terrorists during the exchange wearing shirts saying, “We will not forgive, we will not forget.”

I’ve always identified with the wise words of Golda Meir, “When peace comes we will perhaps in time be able to forgive the Arabs for killing our sons, but it will be harder for us to forgive them for having forced us to kill their sons.”

Sadly, Israel has been forced once again to kill their sons.

But now, I don’t think I can forgive them if they have killed your two sons, Kfir and Ariel.

I wept upon your release from the horrid tunnels of Gaza, considering my worst fears that Hamas murdered an infant and a four-year-old, and you returned without your family.

I imagined how a father could live a life after his babies and spouse were innocently murdered even if you were freed from the gates of hell.

I considered a parallel history, the atrocities of the Holocaust.

Otto Frank lost both of his young daughters and wife.

Upon surviving Auschwitz, he did remarry and was able to find some solace, dedicating his life to making Anne’s story known to the world.

Otto stated, “We cannot change what happened anymore. The only thing we can do is to learn from the past and to realize what discrimination and persecution of innocent people means. I believe that it’s everyone’s responsibility to fight prejudice.”

Today, about a million people visit the Anne Frank Museum annually and thirty million copies of Anne’s diary have been sold.

Yarden, it’s even harder for you.

Your two children were so young and had infinite possibilities ahead of them.

It’s hard to believe in goodness when the world has seemingly turned against you.

But let’s remember Anne’s wise words, “In spite of everything, I still believe that people are really good at heart.”

Yarden, share your family’s story.

The world needs to hear it.

Finish Otto Frank’s work once and for all.