Friday, September 6
– Michael Markman & Michele S. Levin
Jewish Federation of Greater Philadelphia’s Board Chair and Campaign Chair
This past weekend, the IDF found the bodies of six hostages inside Gaza: Hersh Goldberg-Polin z”l, Eden Yerushalmi z”l, Carmel Gat z”l, Almog Sarusi z”l, Alex Lubanov z”l, and Ori Danino z”l.
Hearing the news of their deaths was absolutely devastating. Many of us are familiar with the plight of Israeli-American Hersh through the tireless advocacy of his parents Rachel and Jon, and, as a parent myself, I cannot begin to fathom the grief they must be experiencing right now.
These hostages are more than symbols of Hamas’ terror and Israel’s grief. They must be remembered as courageous men and women who lived meaningful lives.
While we may not know the story of every victim of Hamas’ brutality, we do know the stories of these six. Our hearts are with their families and loved ones. May they be comforted among the mourners of Zion and Jerusalem.
And through our mourning, we must also turn grief into action. We cannot let the remaining 101 hostages become more symbols. We must bring them home – alive. We must advocate for their release and safe return.
Their stories are not yet finished.
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