Allow me a moment to wipe away tears of joy at the return of our brothers and sister from the depths of Gaza. Let me also look away from the grand speeches of world leaders in the Knesset or in Sharm el-Sheikh, and take a brief pause from analyzing the ceasefire deal.
Over the past week, I've received several letters from commanders to their soldiers, and they've filled me with optimism.
When we speak of the Victory Generation, these commanders are its vanguard. They led our sons, and often our partners, on the battlefield, and now speak to them and, through them, to us. They're not trading in hollow declarations of complete triumph, but neither are they doomsayers bemoaning defeat or lost chances. Out of the grime and fatigue, they speak with balance, brimming with belief and hope. We'd do well to read their words, and listen.
The most senior among them is Brig. Gen. Barak Hiram, currently commander of the Gaza Division, who fought during the dark day in Be'eri and later continued combat deep inside the Strip. "The burden, the pain, the soul-wrenching upheavals were our lot for 734 days, to the point that now our sense of victory feels strange, incomprehensible. There is no joy of victory, nor sorrow of mourning in our hearts, only the weight of the burden, the historical responsibility and understanding that now seep into us and bring us to a victor's silence."
Col. Mordi Weiss, commander of the Commando Brigade, wrote to his soldiers about rebuilding the trust between the military and the public. After two years of war, he isn't asking for applause or gratitude, but offers self-reflection: "Over the past two years, we rebuilt the people's trust in us, in IDF soldiers and their commanders, their trust and love. Our oath to defend the state is based on that trust. From that trust stems our responsibility, as commanders, to lead you into battle, with unmatched determination, belief in the justice of our cause, and the knowledge that we are fighting the most justified war there is. We rose from the dust, donned our combat vests and embarked on the campaign.
"And yet, it wasn't enough for us to simply relearn how to believe in ourselves. We had to restore and rebuild the public's trust in us."
Interwoven with biblical verses and lines from Dudu Manor and Naomi Shemer, these commanders thread together Israeli identity and Judaism in their most noble and pure expressions.
Even at the mid-level ranks, lieutenant colonels who led battalions and special units and haven't seen their families in two years, the language is the same. No euphoria, just reality, values, and a deep understanding of the complex situation we face. And above all, a great deal of spirit and resolve.
Take, for example, the words of Lt. Col. Shmuel Batit, commander of the Givati reconnaissance unit: "Even after victory, we must remember the words of Ecclesiastes: 'To everything there is a season, and a time for every purpose under heaven… a time for war, and a time for peace.' Go home with your heads held high, with pride and humility. You have written, and are still writing, a glorious chapter in the history of the people of Israel."
Lt. Col. Daniel Aleh, who commanded the 52nd Battalion of the 401st Armored Brigade, was wounded in the fighting in Rafah. After recovering, he returned to the army and wrote to his soldiers: "The prolonged struggle bore fruit only because of your perseverance, rooted in a deep belief in the righteousness of our path, that the State of Israel is a good that must be brought forth in full force, and that the enemy is an evil that must be utterly destroyed. Though our journey is not over, this is a significant milestone that will plant within us far greater strength for the challenges ahead."
There is no naïveté among these commanders. They, who look their fighters and support troops in the eye, who carry responsibility for the lives of these young men who have grown up, who know the true cost of war, who risk their lives and their families' lives every day, they know full well that we could have gone further. That we were capable of fully toppling Hamas rule, of hitting it even harder. But they choose to focus on the glass half full.
And from that place of hope, love and trust, I urge them: do not be silent. Don't let us drift back into seductive quiet and normalcy. Don't let us sink once again into dangerous assumptions. Raise the alarm, cry out, stay on guard, not only with a bullet in the chamber, but also in awareness.
