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Leap of faith: hostage rescue was a reminder of the meaning of faith
We need to show our gratitude to Israel
The rescuing of four hostages by the IDF, whilst I was leading a Shabbat service at my synagogue, is an act that will forever be engraved in my heart.
The iPad that I used during the pandemic is now routinely on the bimah so that I can see the faces of those who are attending our services on Zoom. A message appeared on screen that Shabbat morning from the lay leader who expertly runs the technology for our services. She was relaying the breaking news of the rescue so I could share it with the community within minutes.
We added into our community prayers our gratitude for their homecoming and added extra fervour to our prayers for the release of all the other captives, fuelled by this newly restored hope.
As we sang Adon Olam to conclude the service, our screens, usually displaying the faces of our Zoom community, temporarily relayed clips from social media of the hostages’ first embraces with their parents and the hoardes on Tel Aviv beach singing Am Yirael Chai.
It felt a privilege to be able to share this important news as it happened. I had become convinced that the negotiations over hostages would only be to recover their bodies, so the vision of these living souls felt like mechayeh hameitim (giving life to the dead). It was a message to never give up hope and a reminder of the meaning of faith.
Yet my hope turned to a brokenness when faced with the reality of the loss of officer Arnon Zmora, who was critically wounded by Hamas fire amid the heroic rescue and later died of his wounds. Arnon – just like Noa, Almog, Andrey and Shlomi – is someone’s child, someone’s friend. Yet rather than being taken against his will by terrorists, he had actively placed himself in this dangerous situation as a commitment to the rescue and, even more so, to defend the Jewish homeland.
I have had the luxury, throughout my entire lifetime, to take Israel’s existence for granted. I have taken for granted the huge sacrifice of every parent in Israel, who brings their child up knowing that one day they will be the ones to ensure that the country is kept secure. Compulsory army service should not just be a mindset in Israel; it should be part of a deep, deep gratitude every diaspora Jew feels.
Hope alone is not enough; Israel needs people to act for its survival in the physical sense, and for the rest of us to show our gratitude for those who risk their lives.
(These words do not undermine the equally strong desire for the IDF and elected leadership of Israel to only operate with the deepest of morality and appreciation of the sanctity of all and every life.)
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