Open letter of personal, national grief

Dear Bibas family,

I’m writing you as would a long-lost relative, reaching out over time and distance. Although we never met, I feel I’ve gotten to know you and your family over the past year and a half. We saved your beautifully innocent baby pictures, Kfir. We visited your little riding toys, Ariel, laying preciously askew in front of your home in Kibbutz Nir Oz at the moment of your cruel abduction.

Ariel’s bike, abandoned forever.

We’ve prayed for your release, for your mom Shiri to be able to protect you in captivity and your dad Yarden- Jordan, like the holy river – to stay brave and strong in an incomprehensibly monstrous situation.

And now we, the nation of Israel, face the stark reality of the brutal hatred of the Gazan Hamas monsters, who spent months torturing those in captivity and those watching from Israel and praying for your safety. We await the official news to see whether you are home now, but not the way we prayed for. You are united, but not together at your kibbutz home which remains a shrine to your innocence.

Israeli authorities advised the country to mourn, not to stare at the reality TV unfolding before us, but to embrace and share our collective pain. Instead, I find myself overcome with anger as I change my profile photo to an orange-striped Israeli flag in your honor. I do believe the leaders of our Jewish country have worked to win the war, to bring home the hostages (alive!) and to destroy the Hamas – the targeted goals of this war, brought upon us by the horrors of October 7th, 502 days ago. Our dear Romi is home and I’ve hung up my leopard clothing (never liked the pattern but loved it for Romi Gonen), but the struggle goes on. Not only to bring home the hostages but to defeat our enemies so that no family is ever ripped out of its home again, no massacre of Jewish blood will take place again, not here in our homeland and nowhere on the planet.

But dear Bibas family, let’s admit that is not a sure thing. You lived the idyllic, innocent life in Nir Oz, almost unaware of the horrendous potential just across the fields in Gaza. In my recent visit to your kibbutz, I saw new horrors. Not the ashes and smells left in the first months after the massacre but more simple testimony to the monstrous invasion of your homes. We heard personal description of ordinary-looking Gazan men, women and youth riding kids’ bikes back and forth over the fields, looting what they could get their hands on. We saw a drawer of women’s lingerie left askew, some of its contents stolen and probably worn now in Rafah. Or Jabalya. We saw the burnt handle of a safe room, desperately held closed by the head of a kibbutz family, fighting valiantly but losing the battle to save the lives of his dear family inside the room from Hamas terrorists who did anything to slaughter.

Gaza, the view from the fields of Nir Oz

A broken closet door, its contents spilling out – pillows and blankets never to be used by its owners again, not in their burnt-down house and not ever by them. This, a Mickey-Mouse bathrobe, hanging in the burnt shell of its former home, the family slaughtered at the hands of Gazan Hamas invaders. I’ve looked away for so long, dear Bibas family, until a return visit to your yard in Nir Oz overwhelmed me with the mixed emotions of pain, horror and anger. But no more disbelief.

Killed the people, burnt their house. A reminder.

There is evil in the world. Some turn to political leaders to dispel the anger. Others to religious leadership, to rabbis, demanding an explanation, seeking understanding of God’s point of view. We send our sons and husbands and more to defend our land, to fight for our people and to restore our security on all borders. We expect all of our Jewish brothers to do the same.

Shiri, Ariel, Kfir and the other hostages for whom we worry or mourn, your loved ones have to pick up the pieces. We are your family and we will not forget. We will go forward with determination and faith that the moral upper hand is ours. Today, we wear orange and join all of you who have suffered loss in this war. Tomorrow, we turn with determination to the nations of the world and remind them that we will do what we must, to protect ourselves, our heritage and our right to this home that we call Israel. Don’t expect any less of us, for we are risen from the ashes more than once and we will wear our future proudly, for everyone’s sake. Never again.

May your beautiful souls know the love that the people of Israel shower upon you, and may your personal families know comfort and compassion.

With embracing love,

Your national family

Source: Wikipedia

Shiri and the boys in normal joyous days, and in last horror-filled moments at home. #NeverAgainIsNow