The complexities wrought by the Israel-Hamas war, now officially in its third year, contain so many pain points that it has been difficult for me to maintain equal consideration of each one. The hostages, the killed and injured soldiers, the refugees from both northern and southern Israel, the collective trauma, the farms laid fallow due to their caretakers’ reserve duty, the destruction of Gaza . . .
For me, the plight of the hostages became my primary personal focus. So much so that last year, on the first anniversary of Oct. 7, as I was watched the ceremony from Hostages Sq. in Tel Aviv, I was confronted by the reality that I had not given adequate attention to the first victims of Oct. 7, 2023, those murdered on that horrific day. While I focused on the hostages, I had almost forgotten that so many of them had lost parents, siblings and children on that day — even as we prayed the hostages themselves might still be alive.
Then, with the release of so many hostages earlier this year, as we saw them embraced by family, we were also reminded of the family that was not there, would never be there, waiting for them.
With the announcement of a ceasefire agreement that is set to finally bring all of the remaining hostages home, I first find myself thinking of people like Maxim Herkin, whose little girl waits for him. Or Bipin Joshi, the Nepalese student who was studying agriculture. Or Evyatar David, whose picture my friend Cheryl Mirrop gave me to have as a guest at my home throughout these holidays.
As I allow myself to feel that smallest bit of relief, I remind myself of all the other pain points this war has wrought, all the other terrible stories that I will have to face. But for now, all I can think is, we need to see those pictures of them reunited with their families.
As in those immediate days following Oct. 7, 2023, the words of the Acheinu prayer are everything: “As for our brothers, the whole House of Israel, who are given over to trouble or captivity, whether they abide on the sea or on dry land: may the All Present have mercy on them, and bring them forth from distress to comfort, from darkness to light, from oppression to redemption, now, swiftly, and soon.”
Shana Goldberg may be reached at shana@ijn.com
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