It is hard to write these words – as of today (Monday the 16th of June) the whole country and all Jews around the world are waiting, breath held, to see if the three young men who were kidnapped will be either released or rescued unharmed.
What started off as a regular journey home for teenagers Naftali Frenkel, Gil-Ad Shaer and Eyal Yifrach has turned into a personal and collective nightmare. They were kidnapped at some point late last Thursday night and they have not been heard from since. No one has contacted the authorities to try and extort a ransom. The general consensus is that they have been kidnapped by a radical Islamic group that is affiliated with Hamas. Their parents and families are distraught although they have shown the most incredible sense of belief and trust in God. In truth, it is at times of trouble that the State of Israel resembles one enormous family. Yes, here in Israel, we quarrel and we bicker constantly but at this acutely painful time we are all joined together in wishing and praying that the three boys be returned to where they belong – to the loving embraces of their families. There is an eerie quiet in the streets and when the ‘pips’ sound the beginning of the hourly news bulletins the whole country listens anxious and apprehensive. I, personally, feel physically nauseous at the thought of what those three innocent boys might be going through.
Perhaps the only glimmers of light so far from the whole terrible situation are the messages that the parents of the three boys are giving to the entire country. Each in their own way has expressed the same idea – firstly their incredible awe at the outpouring of love that they have felt from absolutely everyone friends and strangers alike. Secondly, that we have to rely on God. Yes, the security services are vital in the search for the three boys but, ultimately, it is God who we turn to. There is something visceral about the way that tens of thousands of people opened their hearts in prayer at the Western Wall last night – religious and non-religious. Last night there were no barriers between any of us.
Please, if you have not yet done so (and even if you have) offer up a prayer for the wellbeing of Naftali, Gil-Ad and Eyal, that they return home safe and sound. In times of trouble the classic chapters from the Book of Psalms that are recited are normally chapters 20, 130 and 142. But any chapter can be recited – really any chapter that you find particularly personal. They can be said in English (or any other language) and you should just let the astonishingly poignant and beautiful words come out of your mouth and into your heart and then let them soar up to God.
It is my heartfelt desire that those beautiful, pure children be returned safe and sound to their families – and it is my fervent wish that the sense of unity that permeates the nation right now not need another catastrophic calamity to rekindle it.
