Now We Rise

Now, for the first time in 2+ years, I am able to agree with the "Bring Them Home Now" movement. 

It was always going to have to be some form of negotiations but more importantly, it was always going to have to be either Hamas (may their very existence be cursed) would have to release them; or our soldiers would have to go in and get them.

Each time I went to their site, they correctly told me the exact day...if I lost count, or wanted to be sure. But their message was an unfair one and the burden they placed on our soldiers' hearts and heads was always too much for them to bear. Their single focus on fighting our government, largely because at some level they understood the inhumanity and barbarity of Hamas, was simply wrong and destined to fail.
It was never their struggle that prompted a release and we did not need them to remind us of the hostages. 

We never forgot them, even if we did not support their insane and counterproductive protests.
But now, at last, I agree with them. In three words, they finally do speak for all of Israel. For the hostage families. For the returned hostages.

Now we rise.

It is a joint mission we must all accept and also, we must understand that the most important word in those three words is "WE". WE cannot rise if some remain behind.

 
We must be united.

There must never be a we and them. We all must rise. And this is our challenge - every single one of us here in Israel...and Jews all over the world. Our spirits must rise; our dreams must return. Our hopes must come back and our love of Am Yisrael - nation and people must be stronger than ever.

We are dancing again. Now we rise.