Six Hostages Returned

September 1, 2024 Journal, Our Struggle No Comments

Six Hostages’ Remains Returned After 330 Days
Four Days Ago They Were Alive

Hersh Goldberg-Polin, Ori Danino, Eden Yerushalmi, Almog Sarusi, Alexander Lobanov, Carmel Gat — Top: Hersh Goldberg-Polin, Ori Danino, Eden Yerushalmi, Bottom: Almog Sarusi, Alexander Lobanov, Carmel Gat

Because Of Who We Are

Israel Things: What is unique about Israel? What isn’t?

I did not expect to introduce the website in this way. I had planned on posting images of nature and fauna. However, what gives Israel its greatest uniqueness is its people.

Its people live all over the world, yet have always been connected to the Land Of Israel. It’s people are unique wherever we are and wherever we have been, and we have been regarded differently than other people wherever we are and wherever we have been. Even in our own land, the rest of the world expects us to behave differently than any other people in any other land.

When war comes to Israel – for Israel does not initiate violence or threats of violence – the wars are always about the people of Israel. They are about who we are, not about anything we have done.

Six young people were among some 250 hostages who were kidnapped by Palestinian forces and taken to Gaza 331 days ago. Why were they kidnapped? Because of who they were, not because of anything they did. These six young people endured more than 325 days of captivity, and then their captors shot each of them in the head and left their bodies in a tunnel. Why?

Pain is unique in Israel. The pain from this loss is shared by all the people of Israel as though we are all one family.

We cannot expect the rest of the world to comprehend us. But it would be nice if they would just let us be who we are, live our lives in our ways, and raise families without fear in our own country.