by Sondra Oster Baras
It has been two years since that terrible day. It was a holiday, Simchat Torah, dedicated to celebrating the completion of the annual cycle of Torah readings. At 6:30 in the morning, sirens ripped through the air, terrorists tore down the security barrier and invaded Israel. Some 1400 people were slaughtered that day and hundreds more kidnapped to Gaza. Even today, two years later, we remember every detail of that day: where we were when we first heard the news, how did the day unfold, and the shock and pain that we all felt as the magnitude of the slaughter became known. We will never forget that day.
I am writing this two days before the 7th of October. On the 7th, I will be celebrating the start of the Feast of Tabernacles. But today, we are waiting with baited breath to see if the Trump Deal will actually go through. It is possible that on October 7th, or a few days later, we will see the release of the remaining living hostages and the beginning of the release of the bodies of those who were murdered by Hamas while in captivity.
For the past two years, we have experienced terrible tragedy, and a roller coaster of ups and downs, from victories and successes to tragedies and set-backs. One year ago, we were filled with pride when we learned of the Mossad operation against Hezbollah pagers and walkie-talkies. The operation was absolutely brilliant! And it led directly to the final defeat of Hezbollah and the elimination of Hassan Nasrallah, the head of Hezbollah.
But then there are the times when Hamas succeeded in attacking our soldiers. Close to 1,000 of our brave soldiers fell in battle since October 7th, 2023. More than 6000 soldiers have been injured, many of whom with permanent disabilities. My own nephew Amichai Oster, fell in battle in Gaza on January 1, 2024.
We have been attacked in the north from Lebanon and Syria. We are still being attacked from Yemen. For 12 long days, we were under constant attack from Iran, a war within the war that ended up with serious damage to the Iranian missile and nuclear capability.
Every day, Jews and Israelis all over the world are attacked. On Yom Kippur, the holiest day of the Jewish year, two Jews were murdered in Manchester, England, as they gathered for prayers. And as the murders were taking place, mobs were gathered all over England to accuse Israel of genocide and to call for the destruction of Israel, while the British Prime Minister remained committed to a State of Palestine, rewarding Hamas and terrorists everywhere.
I was in Italy a few weeks ago and wherever we went, synagogues were guarded by military and police. While I appreciated the extra security, it was a telling commentary on what has happened to Israel and to the Jewish people all over the world. We are hated like never before. Jews all over the world no longer feel safe in their home countries. This is part of the story of these past two years.
So as we hear the details of the proposed Trump deal, we are torn between two conflicting feelings. On the one hand—a much-needed sense of optimism to see our hostages home again and the war finally coming to an end. But, on the other hand, we are desperately concerned — will Hamas’ military capability, its weapons, tunnels and infrastructure be totally destroyed? Who will do that? It is hard to believe that the Emirates, Egypt, Qatar and Turkey will disarm Hamas. And the US has no interest in getting involved in Gaza.
Israel has been very clear on its minimum needs — complete security control of Gaza, including an IDF presence along a security perimeter in Gaza. Will the US back us if and when Hamas does not lay down its arms and continues to threaten us? No one in Israel believes that Hamas will suddenly see the light and abandon violence. Violence is central to their identity.
Frankly, none of us believes we are going to have eternal peace. But we are hoping that our hostages will come home and that when Hamas breaches its agreement, we will be bold enough to respond immediately and effectively. The greatest failure of Israel on October 7th was the attitude that prevailed before October 7th both in the government and in the IDF. Our leadership was convinced that Hamas was deterred and that we could “contain” their frequent provocations because they were no more than that — provocations, not threats. But they were real threats.
For years, Hamas tested Israel. When we announced that anyone who approached the security barrier separating Gaza from Israel would be shot, they sent children and women to the barrier, goading us to act. And when we didn’t, they sent young men and we still didn’t react. For months, Hezbollah set up a tent on our northern border, and we did nothing. Today, our forces are in Lebanon and Syria and respond to every potential threat despite the cease-fire agreement in the north. Will our government and the IDF, continue to be as determined in destroying threats to our security in Gaza?
As we are about to celebrate the Feast of Tabernacles, we leave the comfort our homes and spend the week in flimsy booths, succot. It is a potent reminder that bricks and stone are not our protection — God is!
As we hope and pray that our hostages will, indeed, return home soon, we pray that our leaders will have the wisdom and determination to defeat our many enemies. We dare not forget the 7th of October. We must never again believe that our enemies are deterred just because we want them to be. And when we take risks and face dangers in order to protect our people, we must turn to God for protection. We have enormous capabilities but without God’s blessing, we will never succeed. And with His blessing, nothing will stand in our way. Here’s to a better year!