We are often asked “How do Israelis feel about …?” A very valid question, but it’s almost impossible to speak for 10 million Israelis, representing so many diverse groups. But we, the three Israeli staff of the Jewish Federation of Detroit living in Israel, can share how we feel at this most pivotal time in our nation’s history.
That said, we can probably speak for all Israelis in saying that October 7 was the single most catastrophic and tragic event that happened to our Jewish people since the Holocaust. The nation is still immersed in the trauma of that horrific day, and the war that has continued on several fronts for the last 15 months, directly impacting each of our lives.
Yet, the last two months have seen increased optimism. Starting with the cease-fire with Hezbollah in the northern border, which enabled some of the more than 60,000 people who have been displaced from their homes for over 15 months gradually return home and start the rehabilitation of their communities and lives. It was then followed by the ceasefire with Hamas, along with the tormenting and direly anticipated hostage deal, leading to the return home of a few of the remaining live hostages.
Israelis would agree that the price for these hostages is very high (thousands of live terrorists serving in Israeli prisons, for a few dozen Israelis, some alive, perhaps the majority dead), but along with the vast majority of the country, we believe that bringing them home and receiving the appropriate rehabilitation, or in some cases, burial, is essential for healing and reaching a stage of post-trauma on a national level. As we all know too well from our history, both joy and pain are closely intertwined. On split-screen TV news, we are watching one side with the return of the hostages, people waving flags and lining the roads as the convoys pass, while on the other screen are the celebrations in Palestinian towns of the exchange of terrorists.
As we are writing this, 495 days since their capture, there are still 76 hostages in Gaza. We are consumed by their names, their backgrounds; we feel that we know them and their families. When we turn on the radio or TV, wherever we walk, drive or visit in Israel, their names and pictures, posted all over highways and buildings, reminds us that we are one large Israeli/Jewish family responsible for each other, “Kol Yisrael Arevim zeh bazeh.” We are at a pivotal point in the hostage deal. Will they, all or some, be released by noon on Saturday, or will the ceasefire end and fighting begin again? We are anxious.
Yes, as “Detroiters,” we have felt especially touched by a number of the family members of released hostages who have publicly thanked the Jewish communities abroad for their support and commitment in bringing their loved one’s home. As one member of the battered and massacred kibbutz Beeri told us,”I never realized until the last year how truly connected we are with our Jewish brethren in the Diaspora.”
Naomi Miller, Yoav Raban and Liza Yedweb
