This week many of us took off our yellow ribbons and removed our hostage dog tags. The last of the captives, Sgt-Major Ran Gvili, of blessed memory, who fell defending his community (he fought to the last bullet, with a broken arm!) on October 7th, 2023, was located, and he finally came home. He was buried on 1/28 in his hometown of Meitar, and the entire country lined the streets to honor him. 

It seems to many that not only was a ribbon or a dog tag removed, but a burden was lifted as well. All of the hostages, those alive and those who were murdered, are home, and for the first time in 14 years there are no captives in Gaza. A sacred responsibility of the state and the IDF has been fulfilled (and one of the stated war aims as well), going some distance to repair the failure and breach of promise of October 7th. 

My friends, as we continue to help Israelis rebuild their homes, their families, and the shattered lives of the families of the fallen, symbols such as the dog tags and ribbons are as important as ever. 

I challenge........

© The Times of Israel (Blogs)