My son Eliya has been in Gaza for 354 days. He was kidnapped from the shelter where four young men were abducted, 16 were murdered, and seven survived, including Eliya's partner, Ziv.
In a few days, we'll mark the anniversary of the abduction and remember the terrible massacre that befell Israel. I ask you: Have we learned anything from that cursed day? Have we taken it upon ourselves to be better?
To love more? To be more accepting? To show greater mutual responsibility for one another?
If we haven't learned to change, to come together, to accept each other with love and understanding, and if we return to what we were before the terrible massacre, the enemy will again see us as weak and strike us once more.
We must learn to accept one another, regardless of our background, skin color, or political views.
Unity and mutual responsibility are essential, as they are our only path to defeating the enemy. Our strength lies in our unity. When Israel is united, nothing can harm us.
This coming Saturday, the last Sabbath of this year, we read the Torah portion Nitzavim: "You stand this day, all of you, before the Lord your God." All of you – all of us together – this is the strength of Israel in all its diversity, as one person with one heart, so that God may bestow His blessing for a good and sweet year.
For so long, I've been missing Eliya, praying and hoping for this nightmare to end and for all of them to return. Yet every time someone asks me out of politeness, habit, or genuine interest, "How are you?" or "What's new?", I reply that I've run out of words and can only pray for a miracle to bring them back.
So, from this place of speechlessness, let's close our eyes and imagine the hostages returning to Israel. Thoughts create reality. I'll conclude with a prayer for the nation's peace: Our Father in Heaven, Rock and Redeemer of Israel, bless the State of Israel, the dawn of our redemption. Shield it beneath the wings of Your loving kindness and spread over it Your canopy of peace. Grant peace in the land and everlasting joy to its inhabitants.
I wish us all a good and sweet year, that the wounded and sick recover and regain their strength, that God protect the soldiers in the south and north, and that the hostages return to Israel. We're in the midst of a just war in the north and south, but we must not forget that 101 hostages have been held in Hamas tunnels for a year in deplorable conditions, waiting to be rescued. Every passing day could be critical for them – their immediate return is crucial and should be a top priority.
