Now, as throughout Jewish history, we must be a people of hope - opinion

• Published date: 16 March 2024
• Author: JONATHAN LIEBERMAN
• Publication title: Jerusalem Post, The: Web Edition Articles (Israel)

Israel is the country of hope – after all, our National Anthem is called "Hatikva – The Hope."

But right now, as I write these words with the tears in my eyes obscuring the keyboard, it doesn't feel like there is any hope.

Our boy, Sgt. Itay Chen, son of our community members and friends Ruby and Chagit Chen, is no longer among the living.

Itay was serving in the Tank Corps and was last heard from on October 7 at 6.40 a.m.

He was declared missing in action.

A few days later, his father Ruby, a man of such strength and integrity that it is hard to believe, came to me in the synagogue and told me there was some good news – I desperately wanted him to tell me that Itay was found alive and well and would be joining us very soon – but the "good news" was that he was officially declared a hostage – kidnapped by the vile perpetrators of the worst crime against the State of Israel in its history.

Ruby embarked upon a campaign of publicly working to keep the hostages in the minds of the world. As an American/Israeli dual nationality citizen, he flew back and forth to Washington, met with senators, leaders and visited US President Joe Biden in the White House to implore him to do more to bring home the hostages.

Nobody could have done more – and all the while, Itay's parents and brothers and his extended family in our community never gave up hope.

I sent out a photograph of Itay's smiling face that Ruby had prepared with the words "Help find Itay." So many of us placed this photograph on our Shabbat tables as an honored guest.

My wife placed the photograph on the wall together with those of our own children above where she lights the Shabbat candles, and each week as she fervently prayed for the peace, health and welfare of our children over the glowing flames, Itay was there too, firmly in our minds and hearts.

Announcement of Itay's murder

But on Tuesday it was announced that Itay had been killed early on that infamous day of Simchat Torah 5784, October 7, 2024, and his body taken captive to Gaza, where it remains in the hands of the heinous terrorists.

The news hit us like a juggernaut out of control. We weren't expecting it – we remained full of hope that Itay would be returned healthy and well. But it will not be so.

In the words of the Kinnot which we read on Tisha Be'Av the saddest day of the Jewish year, when we recall so many tragedies over the millennia, "Woe is to us, we are bereft!"

Yes, our community's hope lies shattered, broken and splintered into...