By Yaakov Katz (J-Post)
Israel is a special country. This was painfully clear on Wednesday when tens of thousands of people flooded the streets, united in grief, to accompany the funeral procession of the Bibas family – Shiri, the mother, and her two angelic, red-haired children, Ariel and Kfir.
In this moment of national tragedy, Israel showed once again how, in its darkest hours – and amid the most troubling of times and greatest trials and when our hearts are shattered – we come together. We stand as one; we stand united.
It was an example of the unique DNA that makes us Israeli. We fight; we argue. We passionately disagree about the future of this country. But we also understand a harsh reality – our enemies don’t care if we wear a kippah or not, whether that kippah is knitted or velvet, whether we served in the IDF or didn’t, or whether we vote Right or Left. To them, we are all the same.
The threats against us are immense. And as we’ve seen over the last 16 months – and even before that – when we willingly divide ourselves, we invite disaster. If we allow it, it will happen. If we don’t, it won’t. Sometimes it really is that simple.
The image of Shiri, wrapping her sons in a blanket, holding them close as they were torn away to Gaza and then murdered by Hamas terrorists, is etched in our national consciousness.
It is a symbol of the nightmare we have faced since that dark day. It is also a symbol of the catastrophic failure that occurred on October 7, and how we find ourselves still trapped in this painful reality – many months later, with more casualties, more suffering.
Their loss is a reminder of our pain – and it is also a reminder of the urgency to bring back the remaining hostages in Gaza. Time is not on their side, and if they are not returned soon, they could be lost forever.
