No joy living in historic times

We’re living through Jewish history. When my colleague, Tali Feinberg, messaged to say this in reference to the hostages returning, it rang true although we imagine history as something in the distant past.

This idea also fitted in with what Rabbi Leo Dee, who is visiting our community this week, told me about how we are writing the final book of the Tanach (Bible). He makes the point that some of the miracles we are witnessing go far beyond what we see in the Tanach. (See page 8.)

It is not easy to see the miracles from the pain. Dee, like many people in Israel, have suffered such immense trauma and pain but still look forward with hope and a deep sense of belief. This faith for many of us is difficult to do in light of the devastation people are experiencing. It’s also hard to be hopeful for many when there is so much animosity and hatred around, even sometimes within families and former friends.

The truth about being in the midst of history in the making is that history rarely records the good times. It inevitably tells of our most harrowing times, when the darkness seems almost insurmountable. It is in historic times that the truth is often so hard to bear, it seems impossible to surpass.

I wrote this on Wednesday, 19 February, before we published and, at the time, we weren’t 100% sure which bodies would be returned to Israel from Gaza on Thursday. We know they were people listed in the 33 hostages Hamas was due to release in the first phase of the ceasefire agreement. Hamas claimed the bodies of Shiri Bibas and her two sons, Kfir and Ariel, who were nine months and four years when Hamas abducted them on 7 October, would be returned then.

The horror and devastation of this is too much. What this family has been through is unconscionable! Yet our haters will tell you that this innocent family that was destroyed by Hamas is the equivalent to criminals being released from Israeli prisons. How, I don’t know.

The Bibas family, with their two little boys who were the youngest hostages taken by Hamas on 7 October, has come to represent the hostage crisis. I don’t believe there’s a person with a heart who hasn’t held out hope beyond all reasonable doubt that Shiri and her children make it home alive.

The idea that this mother and her babies aren’t coming home alive can only create a deep sadness across Israel and the Jewish world. Yes, other children were brutally murdered on 7 October. Yes, children have been killed in terrorist attacks. But it feels as if we have got to know this family, especially those two beautiful ginger-haired baby boys.

Throughout the past 500 days or so, their sweet little faces have been embedded in our minds and created a sense of hope that just maybe these little ones were being cared for so that they could come home. How do you not take care of such innocent little people?

In tribute to the Bibas family, and we’re aware they aren’t the only people who have lost loved ones, we have an orange ribbon on our front page this week to replace the yellow one we have displayed there since 7 October 2023. Our hearts go out to the family and Israelis as they return home.

It’s difficult to imagine that for just 33 hostages coming home, dead or alive, as many as 1 900 Palestinian prisoners in Israeli prisons are being released.

It seems absurd, but Israel has no choice. Its leadership has to ensure that it gets all the hostages home so the country can resume a semblance of normal life. That cannot happen as long as there are hostages in Gaza. In truth, the war cannot end until they are all home. This is something Israel has been saying for more than 500 days. Simple: “Give us back our people and the war will end!” Unfortunately there have been too many on the wrong side who didn’t want to the war to end.

Rabbi Dee is convinced that those who perpetuated the lies about Israel and Jews over this period will see their faults and apologise. The tables will be turned on them, and the truth will out.

In the SA Jewish Report, we have a “broad church” of ideas, and we encourage all sorts of views, from the left and right, secular and religious, and all other interesting sources. As you can see on page 9, Samuel J. Hyde puts across a well-reasoned and fact-based argument about Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s leadership, especially during this war. You may or may not agree with it, but it’s well worth a read.

When we give people a platform for their views, it needs to be done respectfully and allow for debate. As a rule, we don’t allow people to attack others within the community. How is that helpful to anyone or informative? How does that offer anything worthwhile to our readers? It doesn’t.

All it does is feed our haters – whom we know love reading our publication – something I cannot see the point of doing. It’s divisive, and defeats the whole purpose of a community newspaper.

Our purpose is to give you views and information that you can’t get elsewhere. We aren’t a forum to attack one another, especially leaders in our community who may have views you don’t like.

You don’t have to like them. Neither do I. But do we attack that person for those views? I think not. There’s a well-worn saying that’s often misquoted, but it makes the point that I may disapprove of what you say, but I will defend to the death your right to say it. We strongly believe in that.

There are some who may want to use this platform to attack or silence others, but frankly, we won’t allow for that kind of viciousness and underhandedness. It is beneath us.

I look forward to the positive conclusion of this era in our history, where war and hatred is behind us.

Shabbat Shalom!

Peta Krost

Editor