But how can I go to sleep if Yosef Dov is not here? Mamma wept.
My mother-in-law’s cries echo in my mind. Our precious sons have been savagely murdered. And it is not only Naftali, Gilad, and Eyal. Think of all the fathers, mothers, children – even babies – who have been cut down by terrorists. How can we go back to sleep?
Sadly, though, we resign ourselves to evil. We shrug our shoulders and we say, “What can we do? That’s life today.”
In prior times there was no one who would come to our aid when we were persecuted and often killed. But how can such savagery occur today, when we are sovereign in our own land and have a powerful army? How can our sons and daughters be murdered in cold blood?
Many of the vicious murderers who kill and then come to kill again have at one time been captured by Israeli forces and imprisoned. But these terrorists knew they had nothing to worry about. They were treated in a civilized manner. They were given shelter, food, and expert medical care. Most important, they knew they would eventually be released. Their comrades simply had to kidnap a Jew for whom they would be swapped. The terrorists know the formula well. One Jew kidnapped and exchanged for hundreds of Arab killers. They know the Jewish people will not rest until a kidnapped Jew is returned to his family, to his people.
How can a wise nation be so foolish? Is there any other nation that would capture the murderers who killed its citizens only to free them? Is there any other nation that would release terrorists who launch rockets and missiles on their cities and villages? Is there any other nation that would let such savages go, knowing full well they will return for a second and a third and a fourth round as long as they live?
I’m a rebbetzin in my senior years. I went through the Holocaust. When Israel was established the cry I heard was “Never Again.” Today that cry rings hollow.
The Jewish people have our own thriving state and our own strong army. Hashem has led us in battle and we have triumphed against all odds. So where did we go wrong?
(To be continued)