By Carl Zebrowski
Editor
Community members gathered at the JCC on February 20 to honor the Israeli hostages whose bodies Hamas had just returned to Israel and to support one another in their effort to maintain hope through these difficult times.
In a public spectacle of disrespect and humiliation for the dead, Israel, and Jewish people everywhere, Hamas had handed over the bodies it said were Shiri Bibas and her young children Ariel and Kfir, and Oded Lifshitz, all of whom were captured and taken to Gaza in the attacks of October 7, 2023.
The evening began with Jeri Zimmerman, executive director of the Jewish Federation of the Lehigh Valley, organizer of the event, taking to the podium to welcome the audience that had driven through snow and over slick roads to attend. She delivered a fresh news update: the body that Hamas said was Shiri’s may not actually be hers. “The mind games continue,” Zimmerman said. Indeed, testing on the body later showed that it was not Shiri’s (Hamas did return the body that proved to be Shiri’s the next day).
“We are too heartbroken and shattered,” Zimmerman said, placing this latest incident in context of the long year and a half of tragedy that began on October 7. “Yet we come together.”
Following Zimmerman at the podium were Lehigh Valley Rabbis Allen Juda, Moshe Re’em, Shoshanah Tornberg, Steven Nathan, Michael Singer, and Yaacov Halperin. The rabbis offered thoughts and prayers and poems. Rabbi Moshe Re’em played guitar and sang with Shari Spark.
In the middle of the evening, there was a break to show a video for “A Song for Shira,” a lullaby with lyrics written by Yehonatan Geffen for his daughter and sung by well-known singer Corinne Allal who passed away recently. The tune’s chorus offered the simple message, “A new and good world I will give you.”
Rabbi Singer, noting that 503 days had passed since the Hamas attacks, offered a prayer for the return of the slain hostages. “Even in these moments,” he said, “we stand and acknowledge God no matter how hard it is, and maybe because it is so hard.”
Rabbi Halperin wondered, “How do we live our life? How do we continue? How can there be a complete heart when the heart is completely shattered and broken?”
He said the only thing we can do is to act the opposite of all we have suffered through, with tears and broken hearts and strained hope. “Those tears have the power of prayer to climb all the way up to heaven.”
The night ended with the Mourner’s Kaddish and then the gathering joining in for the Israeli national anthem. “And now we sing ‘Hatikvah,’” said Rabbi Re’em, “and hope for a better future.