There are now no more hostages in Gaza. They are all finally home, although far too many did not return alive. I’m sure we all feel grateful and in awe of the IDF for their deep commitment, relentless perseverance and incredible bravery and courage to carry out this massive and difficult mission, called “Operation Brave Heart,” to find, recover and return the body of Ran Gvili z”l, the last remaining hostage in Gaza, to his bereaved family in Israel. This news has overwhelmed me with emotion this week, and I know that so many in our community and around the world share these same feelings of relief and comfort, but also of uncertainty about what comes next. There have already been many touching, powerful and insightful articles and letters written addressing this week’s events and the emotional responses. It comforted me to read them and honestly, I don’t feel that I have anything fresh to add (even with the help of AI) to what has already been written.
But the events this week got me contemplating the value and significance of rituals and symbols. For the painful 843 days from October 7, 2023, until this week, both in Israel, in Jewish communities around the world, and of course here in our CBI community, new rituals and symbols quickly became so important and even unifying during this horrific crisis. Almost immediately, people were making pins of blue ribbons and yellow ribbons to attach to our clothes to raise awareness and show solidarity. Banners of support for Israel and lawn signs saying “Bring Them Home Now” were printed and displayed on our lawns. Posters and pictures of those murdered on October 7th and of the hostages taken that day began appearing in public places and even in our synagogue lobby as we mourned with our own CBI members who had lost family members and friends. Inspired by the Empty Shabbat Table and Vacant Chairs that were set up in Tel Aviv’s “Hostage Square,” we also set up a symbolic table and chairs for the hostages in our Social Hall, where it remained until all of the living hostages were returned. Additionally, thanks to the passion and creativity of CBI member Maya Bloom, we had a Yellow ribbon artistic display for the hostages hanging in the hallway outside of our Multi-Purpose room for many months.
Then there were the metal dog tags, engraved with the Hebrew phrase which translates to “Our Heart is Captive in Gaza,” which so many of us wore daily, and which I and some others continued to wear until Ran Gvili’s body was returned to Israel. And perhaps the most visceral symbol and ritual was the piece of masking tape, changed daily with the increased number marking each additional day of captivity, initiated on Day 26 by Rachel, mother of hostage Hersh Goldberg-Polin z”l.
When we think about the purpose of traditional religious rituals and symbols, in Rabbi Debra Orentstein’s book on Life Cycles, Volume 1, she states that “ritual was designed, and continues, to meet a variety of needs that relate to life passages and events: the need for the individual to be acknowledged by community; the need for the community/tribe to read itself into the passages of each member; the need for bonding, which serves both individual and community… Through rituals, we create structures that provide an element of predictability and, therefore, safety, around times of insecurity, transition, and/or loss.”
The symbols that evolved in response to October 7th were never aesthetic choices or jewelry, and the actions, though seemingly small, took on profound meaning – they provided a way to “do something” when we felt helpless and wanted to show our solidarity. The symbols and rituals did their job, demonstrating our commitment to the release of the hostages and keeping this issue a priority in our consciousness. I along with others have been feeling a need to find a meaningful “Jewish way” to mark the cessation of these particular rituals and symbols. Some are choosing to bury their dog tags. UJA Federation in NY just announced “The Hostage Tag Project”, gathering as many tags and pins as they can “to transform these symbols of our collective activism into a public commemorative art installation that will show our unwavering resolve to future generations.”
Now that they are no longer relevant, we must find new ways – actions and symbols – to help and inspire us to move forward in the journey of the Jewish People to find a path of healing, hope and peace, and to continue our commitment to support Medinat Yisrael and “Acheinu Kol Beit Yisrael “ – all of our sisters and brothers of the House of Israel.
That is the “Jewish way!”
Am Yisrael Chai.
L’Shalom,
Cantor Lorna Wallach
