They are finally home
They are finally home. Far too many came home in caskets, but for the first time since October 7, 2023 all of the hostages have been returned to their loved ones. Ironically the last was returned the day before Holocaust Remembrance Day. Too ironic. Too soon. 81 years since the holocaust and too little has changed for the Jewish people. We are still hunted, still exposed to constant hatred, still scared to simply be who we are. But we are still proud, still seeking the light through the darkness.
How do I explain to my little girl why swastikas were painted on a local temple? Why I don’t let her wear the star of David necklace she proudly adorns to certain places or in certain situations? It pains me to have her ever hide her Jewish pride. I’m proud of her love of our religion, I’m proud to be a Jew. But waving our Jewish flag can be dangerous – far more often than ever before.
As a kid I never worried about being a Jew. I grew up in an area diverse with people of various religions. Sure there were more Christmas songs than Hanukkah songs at the school concert, but we always got a token Dreidle Dreidle Dreidle. The holocaust was part of history books, something our grandparents knew about but that seemed so far removed. But on October 7, everything changed.
It may seem strange to non Jews, but the Jewish people are all connected in an unexplainable way. I may not know a soul in Israel, but that day was heart breaking for every Jew around the world. We are such a small population, and we are all connected. Any time we meet another “member of the tribe”, we play Jewish geography, and within 2 or 3 degrees we’ve discovered friends or family in common. Seems silly, but it’s such a warm feeling to identify that connection. We are all connected.
My family and I prayed everyday for the safe return of hostages. We pray for the loved ones left behind to mourn. My daughter and I still sing Oseh Shalom every night before bed, the prayer for peace in Israel. We cried every time a hostage was announced dead. We wrote letters to IDF soldiers praying for their safety. We felt helpless so far away, and guiltily grateful to be far away… and safe. But even that began to change.
It seemed overnight that antisemitism not only grew in America and around the globe, but it became an accepted norm. Temple shootings make us nervous to gather, but we still go. Community is one of the most important and beloved values of our people. The Bondi Beach shooting proved that it doesn’t matter where we gather, the hate follows us wherever we go. But we will not let that stop us, we will still gather.
So while I am grateful and relieved to finally have all the hostages home, the fight is not over. It seems it may never be over. We always say “never again” in reference to the holocaust – it’s not a slogan, it’s a promise. A promise to find the light in the darkness. To have kindness and love lead our way. To continue to gather, to keep our community strong. To fight not with fists but to practice tikun olam – to heal the world. To hope and pray that we may never need to say again that “they are all finally home”.
Beth Alexander 