Beautifully written. Iโm sure I speak for many when I say you captured both the ecstasy & ongoing rage of this moment perfectly. Romi๐๐ผ Emily๐๐ผ Doron๐๐ผ Welcome Home!๐๐ฎ๐ฑโก๏ธ๐๏ธ๐ช
Beautiful writing and description Gavriella, of this bittersweet day of return for Romi, Doron and Emily. A real way for us in the diaspora to connect with our brothers and sisters in Israel. May there be more hostages brought home soon. Am Yisrael Chai with love.
Good essay! sinwar the "master mind" behind 10.6.23 whose brother is now running hamas -and whose life was saved in prison by Israeli doctors was one of 1037 prisoners swapped for ONE IDF soldier Gilad Shalit in 2011. Some things never change - including the apathy of the western world.
And will always be unless our neighbors make changes in their countries de- radicalization is going to take some time if they even attempt it. Until the Arab nations in our neighborhood begin that course of action in their schools and erase the methodology of how they teach their children to hate and kill Jews, there will be no peace. We saw this in 1973 during the Kippur War - Egyptian text books advocating killing Jews, and 14 year old dead Egyptian soldiers with amphetamines in their pockets. I remember the day Anwar Sadat came to Jerusalem and addressed the Knesset - we wept and prayed that finally we would have shalom. Yes we had to return the Sinai (our buffer) in increments for peace and we hoped and prayed that it would be so.
So what happened? Sadat was assassinated and the IDF recently discovered smuggling tunnels under Raffa leading in and out of Egypt, while the world protested against Israel and chanted cease fire and from the river to the sea????
Yes we welcome Romi, Doron and Emily ha'bayta - but what of the others? Both alive and deceased - how many prisoners were let go to appease everyone else but ourselves?
Shalom Shalom V'ein Shalom. I've lived my life - my grandchildren have not.
We know it is highly unlikely that our terrorists neighbors will ever stop trying to destroy us. What we prove again and again is: despite that we still live fully and joyfully.
Gavriella B'Ezrat Hashem I truly wish and pray for your sake as an Olah Chadashah (mazal tov) that your generation and for your future children and grandchildren there will be a workable peace with our neighbors.
Unless and until there is a sea change in the entire paradigm of rewarding terrorism, this wash rinse repeat cycle will continue.
We cannot influence a Jew hating or indifferent international community, but we can provide more appropriate incentives /disincentives for those who want nothing more than exterminate us all.
What can stop someone so indoctrinated into a death cult that both killing Jews and becoming a martyr is a win, and who cares nothing for his own people?
Some examples:
1) Every individual killed while committing a terror attack becomes an automatic organ/tissue donor (to the extent medically possible), so they know they risk saving more Jews than they kill.
2) Do Jews โlove lifeโ and adhere to the concept of pikuach nefesh? If so no more exchanging live terrorists (who will most certainly kill again) for the bodies of dead Israelis. Instead every terrorist killed in any operation should be held indefinitely for this purpose - preferably in a bag containing portions of forbidden pig.
3) The death penalty must be applied to any captured killer whose motive is purely terrorism, removing them from the equation and making abductions less attractive. Streamline the legal system and get it done asap.
4) Islamist fanatics care for nothing but killing Jews and becoming martyrs - unless it is the intensive reeducation of their children. Family members of upper echelon terrorists should be detained and videos broadcasted of them learning about liberal democratic values, civil/womens/gay rights, and peaceful coexistence.
5) The only other thing these fanatics care about is redeeming โMuslim landโ from the clutches of the despised Jews. Israel should announce it is formally annexing a specified portion of โPalestinianโ land for every hostage not returned by a certain date.
6) All funds withheld from the PA for their โpay for slayโ should be dispersed to families of terror victims annually. The fear of โdestabilizingโ the PA has only incentivized them to continue with this odious practice.
Iโm sure the Start Up Nation can come up with other innovative ideas which do not involve capitulating to terrorists, thereby incentivizing them to continue their attacks. Publishing such articles might be psychologically cathartic to both write and read, as we unite as a nation in our grief, but do nothing to change this decades-long vicious cycle of exchanging so many for one.
Unfortunately the reality is that the leniencies and self harming behaviors of Israel- bending to the influences of hatred of Western leaders- will continue as long as the communist left Haaretz Israelis continue to put โfreedoms and equalityโ of terrorists over the freedoms and security of Israeli Jews. In other words, forever. So we must put our trust above. We know that in every generation others will rise up to destroy the Jewish people, and we know how it ends- every single time for thousands of years the Jews have outlived and outlasted every other society.
Well said. Unfortunately the world stage and its wash repeat cycle which you so accurately described continues, as it has for centuries in the galut and in our land. Jews have been made to pander to the occupiers and the nations where we live/lived as minorities ruled by our "step" children ( referenced by James Carroll in Constatine's Sword) to avoid persecution and pogroms (as if it helped).
I recently watched a passionate civil rights atty based in Canada (Brooke Goldstein) speak on Eylon Levy's podcast of this very subject, and her opinion as to how to break the chain, she had some valid points. UNRWA will continue to be funded worldwide to appease the many who harbor Judenhass, which has morphed into Israel hatred - each group has their similar agenda which can be found in their "holy books" and still preached by their clergy. Why should anyone have to wait 10 years to bury a son whose body was held for ransom?
The Third Temple and the Kingdom of Israel (Davidic Dynasty) are eternal and Sanhedrin is also in the Third Temple. Final peace comes when Shechinah is dwelling in the Third Temple on Mount Moriah in Jerusalem Very Soon Baruch HaShem ๐ฎ๐ฑโค๏ธ๐ฎ๐ฑAM YISRAEL CHAI ๐ฎ๐ฑโค๏ธ๐ฎ๐ฑ
The reestablishment of the Jewish nation was supposed to prevent the persecution and mass murder of the Jewish people. Those sadistic psychopaths should have been expelled from Judea and Samaria and Gaza after the six-day war. Israel needs to be completely self-sufficient in producing its own armaments. Successive administrations have used American Jews to do their dirty work against Israel. In this case Witkoff who "didn't give a damn" about Shabbat when he strongarmed Netanyahu into meeting with him on the Jewish sabbath. Scumbag kappo frontman for Qatar.
I feel and share your pain. Just remember - we know how this ends. In every generation there will be those who rise up to destroy us. And the Jewish people have and will continue to outlast every one of them every single time. Am Yisrael Chai.
Thank you. The beautiful photo of Romi and her mother hugging made me cry. They cannot get close enough to fully express the joy of their reunion but are certainly trying with their wrapped-up embrace. May this poor girl live a long and happy life and recover from the horrors of her captivity. Those who facilitated or participated in her detention are truly monsters.
Beautifully written. Iโm sure I speak for many when I say you captured both the ecstasy & ongoing rage of this moment perfectly. Romi๐๐ผ Emily๐๐ผ Doron๐๐ผ Welcome Home!๐๐ฎ๐ฑโก๏ธ๐๏ธ๐ช
Am Yisrael Chai!!๐ฎ๐ฑ๐ฎ๐ฑ๐ฎ๐ฑ
Thank you! Welcome Home!
Beautiful writing and description Gavriella, of this bittersweet day of return for Romi, Doron and Emily. A real way for us in the diaspora to connect with our brothers and sisters in Israel. May there be more hostages brought home soon. Am Yisrael Chai with love.
Thank you. Your opinions are important to me; Iโve learned theyโre an accurate barometer of how I am writing.
AM YISRAEL CHAI!
Right back atcha ๐๐ฎ๐ฑ๐
Good essay! sinwar the "master mind" behind 10.6.23 whose brother is now running hamas -and whose life was saved in prison by Israeli doctors was one of 1037 prisoners swapped for ONE IDF soldier Gilad Shalit in 2011. Some things never change - including the apathy of the western world.
Yes. Our painful reality.
And will always be unless our neighbors make changes in their countries de- radicalization is going to take some time if they even attempt it. Until the Arab nations in our neighborhood begin that course of action in their schools and erase the methodology of how they teach their children to hate and kill Jews, there will be no peace. We saw this in 1973 during the Kippur War - Egyptian text books advocating killing Jews, and 14 year old dead Egyptian soldiers with amphetamines in their pockets. I remember the day Anwar Sadat came to Jerusalem and addressed the Knesset - we wept and prayed that finally we would have shalom. Yes we had to return the Sinai (our buffer) in increments for peace and we hoped and prayed that it would be so.
So what happened? Sadat was assassinated and the IDF recently discovered smuggling tunnels under Raffa leading in and out of Egypt, while the world protested against Israel and chanted cease fire and from the river to the sea????
Yes we welcome Romi, Doron and Emily ha'bayta - but what of the others? Both alive and deceased - how many prisoners were let go to appease everyone else but ourselves?
Shalom Shalom V'ein Shalom. I've lived my life - my grandchildren have not.
We know it is highly unlikely that our terrorists neighbors will ever stop trying to destroy us. What we prove again and again is: despite that we still live fully and joyfully.
Gavriella B'Ezrat Hashem I truly wish and pray for your sake as an Olah Chadashah (mazal tov) that your generation and for your future children and grandchildren there will be a workable peace with our neighbors.
Amen. Thank you.
Unless and until there is a sea change in the entire paradigm of rewarding terrorism, this wash rinse repeat cycle will continue.
We cannot influence a Jew hating or indifferent international community, but we can provide more appropriate incentives /disincentives for those who want nothing more than exterminate us all.
What can stop someone so indoctrinated into a death cult that both killing Jews and becoming a martyr is a win, and who cares nothing for his own people?
Some examples:
1) Every individual killed while committing a terror attack becomes an automatic organ/tissue donor (to the extent medically possible), so they know they risk saving more Jews than they kill.
2) Do Jews โlove lifeโ and adhere to the concept of pikuach nefesh? If so no more exchanging live terrorists (who will most certainly kill again) for the bodies of dead Israelis. Instead every terrorist killed in any operation should be held indefinitely for this purpose - preferably in a bag containing portions of forbidden pig.
3) The death penalty must be applied to any captured killer whose motive is purely terrorism, removing them from the equation and making abductions less attractive. Streamline the legal system and get it done asap.
4) Islamist fanatics care for nothing but killing Jews and becoming martyrs - unless it is the intensive reeducation of their children. Family members of upper echelon terrorists should be detained and videos broadcasted of them learning about liberal democratic values, civil/womens/gay rights, and peaceful coexistence.
5) The only other thing these fanatics care about is redeeming โMuslim landโ from the clutches of the despised Jews. Israel should announce it is formally annexing a specified portion of โPalestinianโ land for every hostage not returned by a certain date.
6) All funds withheld from the PA for their โpay for slayโ should be dispersed to families of terror victims annually. The fear of โdestabilizingโ the PA has only incentivized them to continue with this odious practice.
Iโm sure the Start Up Nation can come up with other innovative ideas which do not involve capitulating to terrorists, thereby incentivizing them to continue their attacks. Publishing such articles might be psychologically cathartic to both write and read, as we unite as a nation in our grief, but do nothing to change this decades-long vicious cycle of exchanging so many for one.
Unfortunately the reality is that the leniencies and self harming behaviors of Israel- bending to the influences of hatred of Western leaders- will continue as long as the communist left Haaretz Israelis continue to put โfreedoms and equalityโ of terrorists over the freedoms and security of Israeli Jews. In other words, forever. So we must put our trust above. We know that in every generation others will rise up to destroy the Jewish people, and we know how it ends- every single time for thousands of years the Jews have outlived and outlasted every other society.
Well said. Unfortunately the world stage and its wash repeat cycle which you so accurately described continues, as it has for centuries in the galut and in our land. Jews have been made to pander to the occupiers and the nations where we live/lived as minorities ruled by our "step" children ( referenced by James Carroll in Constatine's Sword) to avoid persecution and pogroms (as if it helped).
I recently watched a passionate civil rights atty based in Canada (Brooke Goldstein) speak on Eylon Levy's podcast of this very subject, and her opinion as to how to break the chain, she had some valid points. UNRWA will continue to be funded worldwide to appease the many who harbor Judenhass, which has morphed into Israel hatred - each group has their similar agenda which can be found in their "holy books" and still preached by their clergy. Why should anyone have to wait 10 years to bury a son whose body was held for ransom?
So sensitively articulated, tears flow, for the pain and the joy
Thank you. We will continue to cry in pain and joy together.
The Third Temple and the Kingdom of Israel (Davidic Dynasty) are eternal and Sanhedrin is also in the Third Temple. Final peace comes when Shechinah is dwelling in the Third Temple on Mount Moriah in Jerusalem Very Soon Baruch HaShem ๐ฎ๐ฑโค๏ธ๐ฎ๐ฑAM YISRAEL CHAI ๐ฎ๐ฑโค๏ธ๐ฎ๐ฑ
Bโezret Hashem ๐๐๐
Compassionately written capturing the emotional sadness and relief and happiness for the hostages and families.
Thank you.
Amen and Amen!
The reestablishment of the Jewish nation was supposed to prevent the persecution and mass murder of the Jewish people. Those sadistic psychopaths should have been expelled from Judea and Samaria and Gaza after the six-day war. Israel needs to be completely self-sufficient in producing its own armaments. Successive administrations have used American Jews to do their dirty work against Israel. In this case Witkoff who "didn't give a damn" about Shabbat when he strongarmed Netanyahu into meeting with him on the Jewish sabbath. Scumbag kappo frontman for Qatar.
I feel and share your pain. Just remember - we know how this ends. In every generation there will be those who rise up to destroy us. And the Jewish people have and will continue to outlast every one of them every single time. Am Yisrael Chai.
Thank you. The beautiful photo of Romi and her mother hugging made me cry. They cannot get close enough to fully express the joy of their reunion but are certainly trying with their wrapped-up embrace. May this poor girl live a long and happy life and recover from the horrors of her captivity. Those who facilitated or participated in her detention are truly monsters.
I am so glad my essay could give you even a moment of knowing you are not alone in your tears or joy.
Beautiful. Thank you for sharing.
Thank you for joining my journey.