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The Jewish Report Editorial

Resilience through anguish

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Seeing those three young Israeli women hugging their mothers for the first time in almost 16 months was heartbreaking, but beautiful. I’m sure that we all felt the sheer love and understanding between them. For the first time in 471 days, Romi Gonen, Emily Damari, and Doron Steinbrecher felt safe and protected.

I’m sure I’m not the only one who wondered how they would come home. I was surprised at how well they looked. But looks can always be deceiving, and we have no idea what these women endured. I have no doubt that they were truly happy to be home and with their families no matter what they had been through in Gaza.

I also know that Israel is pulling out all the stops to get them healthy, mentally and psychologically, as best it can.

I’m not sure that we’ll ever hear the truth of what they endured in Gaza, but what’s truly astonishing is how they survived. The story of how they held and supported each other, giving strength when they had it. We heard that Romi – a trained medic from Kfar Veradim, a town up north, who was captured at the Nova festival – tended to Emily’s wounds. Emily had three of her fingers shot off on 7 October 2023, when she was captured on Kibbutz Kfar Aza. As I understand it, Romi ensured that Emily’s hand and leg, which sustained shrapnel wounds on 7 October, didn’t get infected. This was in the worst conditions.

And a smiling Emily has unwittingly turned her wounded hand into a symbol of bravery, heroism, and freedom. In fact, it has already become an emoji, and is being spread far and wide.

Many of us noticed that the women returned with their hair neatly braided, only to discover braiding each other’s hair was a form of empowerment in a situation in which they had no power. And it was a clear message of determination to survive no matter what in the most horrific situations. These scenarios of how women – and I’m sure it wasn’t only women – held each other up in hell, was astonishing and inspiring. That was how they survived, by being each other’s strength.

In the helicopter, there’s a photograph taken of Doron and Emily smiling and holding up a sign that reads in Hebrew, “The nightmare is over.” And later, Emily tells her mother, “I have come back to life.” While this is all poignant and heart-wrenching, it speaks of the sheer resilience and determination of these women to survive.

What they had to put up with, we don’t know. But for their Hamas captors to give them ‘goody bags’ filled with photos of their captivity, a map of Gaza, and certificates of their capture, was their final act of humiliation. Shoving their faces in what they had endured was revolting, but I’m sure nothing compared to what they had already been through and survived.

As we head towards the International Holocaust Memorial Day on 27 January, which commemorates the 80th anniversary of the liberation of the Auschwitz concentration camp, we recall this same kind of resilience among Jews back then. In the most inhumane and horrifying conditions there and at other concentration camps, those who survived did so against all odds.

I have to say, all these months without knowing what was happening to the hostages, I had a sense that they might not have survived. However, having seen these women emerge as they did with such determination, I’m now sure many more will come home. I’m also sure that despite their resilience, there’s a long road to recovery from their horrific ordeal. No matter how strong, brave, and relieved they look, it will take a lot of hard work to get past what happened to them.

And it’s clear that their connection with those who remain behind is strong. As they come out, so they make the point of not leaving 94 others behind. They can’t truly be free until all those who were with them are home as well.

And so, we wait until this coming Saturday for the next four hostages to return. We don’t even know yet if they are alive or not.

I have no doubt that all Israelis are excited and relieved to have Emily, Doron, and Romi home, and that they are filled with anticipation and hope for the others to be returned. However, many Israelis aren’t happy with the deal brokered that enables 90 criminal prisoners to be released in exchange for only the three girls and it’s just the start of the massive release of hardened terror mongers and criminals.

But Israel is a country full of so many opinions. There’s no doubt that handing over convicted criminals cannot sit well with anyone in Israel, but there are so many different ways of seeing it and what will happen from here.

Because of this, we haven’t given you just one person’s view. We’ve included in this edition different views and angles by people with a depth of knowledge. Read Dr Dan Diker, Gershon Baskin, and Rabbi Moshe Taragin’s perspectives on this. They all bring such insight to bear in this discussion. It’s also fascinating to read Steven Gruzd’s piece describing how the South African government and political parties have responded to the deal.

Meanwhile United States President Donald Trump was inaugurated, and thrilled and shocked many with his inauguration speech. The question many are asking in our community is, will he or his predecessor, Joe Biden, be remembered for bringing the hostages home? And will all the hostages come home? How will we view this agreement over time? What impact will it have on Israel and the Jewish world?

These are among many questions that only time will provide answers to.

We at the SA Jewish Report would like to congratulate another strong and courageous Jewish woman. Kol hakavod to South African Jewish Board of Deputies national director, Wendy Kahn, for being selected by global Jewish news publication Algemeiner as one of the 100 people making an impact in the Jewish world. We are proud of you!

Shabbat Shalom!

Peta Krost

Editor

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