No More Questions 

On Simchas Torah 2023, as the illusion of control was shattered, Jews all over began to reconnect with their core identity. Hashem drew me into the saga as well, allowing me to stand alongside survivors and hostage families in their darkest hours. Then came the book — not a rehashing of the news, but a story that will be etched in the gold letters of Jewish history, deepening the bonds that connect us to one another and to our Father in Heaven.

With the release of the remaining hostages, many of the stories have since had a happy ending, while others have had tragic closure. Either way, it’s my privilege to continue to share them with you.

IT was the week before Purim of 2024, a little over five months since the Simchas Torah massacre, and I was invited to join in a very special Shabbos for hostage families. But I was nervous: I thought it would be one big traumatic event, with tears and crying and inconsolable loved ones, some of whom had never experienced an authentic Shabbos before. My wife and two daughters joined me, but instead of overwhelming heartache, we were met with hope and emunah from the most surprising quarters.

The first to speak was Mrs. Chana Sharabi, a petite, elderly woman with piercing black eyes. “I have five children,” she began. “Two of them, Eli and Yossi, built families in Be’eri.

“On Simchat Torah, Eli was in the safe room with his wife, Lianne, and their daughters, Noya and Yahel. The three of them were murdered, and Eli was taken to Gaza. Yossi was taken, too, but after a while it was confirmed that he’d been murdered in captivity. Our rav instructed us to sit shivah, so we did. He did not merit a levayah, or even a burial….”

Around me, every head was bowed. How do you contain such anguish?