Numbers. Numbers can be made to do anything one wishes. Contrary to the thinking of many who think that numbers are absolute, they are not. They can be twisted and turned at will, to serve either the good or the bad. Some have consciously chosen to use numbers to serve the bad, the murderers, the evil, while others have used truthful numbers to show the depths of the sorrow, the angst and the anguish of the families and friends of those who remain in captivity. In fact, all Jews bleed along with them, for we are one family, no matter the differences among us.
And we hope, for it is not known, the number facts denied, who is alive and who is dead. Who is with which band of animals? Is that statement true or merely a copout, ginned up to excuse and 'explain' the supposedly misplaced, lost captives. Does it enable them to keep these captives in a stasis of horror, to be used in the future as currency for barter? Or is it merely to inflict levels of pain unknown to most of humanity. a pain such as the family of a brutalized young lady, 19 years old. turned 19 during captivity, has felt.
Seen in a video with a bloody face, her parents were sent a bouquet along with 'condolences' upon her passing. What is the matter with these people? How have they managed to shred any possible iota of humanity within them? Were they born this way? Were they inculcated by their parents, by their false teachers and religious leaders, with this vile hatred? I don't know. And I don't understand. Furthermore, I can never understand the cold shoulder the world has turned to these young women tormented beyond any possible path of comprehension, of full adjustment upon return, for how could they? The world? It could care less.
The world cries for seven wounded in a tragic accident. The nations of the world shout to the Heavens about the need for more information. War is ugly. War is hard. War has no rules. And yet, what rules there are, have been blatantly violated by Hamas and their allies. I do not notice a single voice raised against it, other than voices of the Jewish people along with some righteous people who still understand and distinguish right from wrong. And so they cry for foreign workers, yet their own captives, dual citizens, receive not a single iota of attention, of care, of visits from IRC, from representatives of those nations, of sympathy, of care and concern, of attempts to free them. At this point among dual citizens, there remain five American Israelis in captivity. Where the hell are you, America? Where the hell are you, Biden? Where the hell are you Blinken? Where the hell is this government? Nowhere to be seen. Nowhere to be found. Nowhere to be heard. Other than to acquiesce to the upheaval, turning villains and instigators of war, inflictors of torture, into victims, ignoring the facts of Oct7.
So, to numbers. 185. These are how many days the captives have served in an ongoing living hell, worse than anything we can imagine. Their captivity has wrought renewed nightmares and fears to Holocaust survivors. and their descendants. It has spiked genetic trauma to be found within every single Jewish mind, brain and heart. This is not the first time, unfortunately, nor unfortunately will it be the last time. And in fact, with antisemitism ramping up so quickly, so violently the future is very difficult.
Signs of light? The enemy has united the Jewish people around the world. It has united thousands, millions of Jews together as one, despite the fact that we can still vehemently disagree on many important issues. However, the main issue right now is to free the hostages, keep the hostages in the memory and the mind of the world. Not to be forgotten nor discarded as trash, unworthy of any effort.
Over 4300 people killed and wounded on October 7th. Violently, brutally with great displays of bestiality. With glee. With sexual violence. Over 250 taken into captivity. Old and young. Infants. Young girls and boys. Young adults. Taken and brutalized. Thai workers, foreign students, Arab workers. All fell victim.
More numbers. 250 children witnessed their parents slaughtered. 31 children are complete orphans. Others remain wounded in body and soul.
More numbers? Jews are 0.2% of the World's population so how could we possibly have caused so much damage and trouble to the world? In fact, we have done much better and given much more to the world far, far above our punching weight.
October7 is a fact. It is real and cannot be denied. The blood of the victims cries out from the ground upon which it was spilled. The anguish of the captives, of their families, of the Jewish people rise to the heavens. And will be avenged and will be heard. Even as the world mourns the tragic death of seven aid workers, they disremember the ongoing level of deaths among the captives, taken in violation of international law. But that seems to have disappeared into the fog and night of war.
Robert Barrett Browning counts the ways in which he loves Elizabeth. We humans are better at counting the ways to slaughter each other. In the rampant violence. deaths, wars, famines (real) of the world, Israel is the target of choice. Apparently, it is much easier on the machinery of government. The numbers of victims around the world are too numerous to count, overwhelming us. Much easier to go to a smaller nation like Israel, where at the worst would remain in single digit millions.
185 days in captivity. 185 days for families to wonder what horror and terror are their loved ones undergoing? How many numbers must it take? How many more numbers must we sacrifice? How many more pints and gallons of blood must be spilled upon the Earth? How many more footsteps must be taken as we squelch through that blood? How many more children must be killed? And that includes on all sides of the war. How many more times must we see numbers? Terrible numbers being perverted, being misused, being lied about being ascribed incorrectly.
Dear Lord, I think Your creations have had enough. Hearts are broken, arms are tired, legs weak, minds distorted. We need help and guidance far beyond our minuscule power to reengage broken souls, hearts and minds. Wave upon wave upon wave of hate and violence. Why? Again? From the depths of my heart, from the bottom of my despair, I call upon You. Help us. Help the world.
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Yitzy, your absence is a huge gap in our lives. We miss you so. Yet there are times when we say at least Yitzy doesn't have to face this. Hopefully. you are ensconced in the loving arms of your great- great grandparents and those who have preceded you. To learn with the great rabbis of Jewish history and heritage traced to our families. Perhaps we are selfish in wishing you here, still with us, but we miss you so. We miss you so.
I, we, will always love you. It transcends all barriers and boundaries. It will be there.
Always and forever. Always and forever.
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