This great line from Monica Wood’s latest novel, How to Read a Book, holds a few meanings for me. The story focuses on the positive influence human connections have in the lives of people suffering with loss, tragedy, and the consequences of their mistakes. It’s about second chances, empathy, and forgiveness. There was a lot about this book for me to love, but as I write this post, in the wake of news of what happened to Shiri Bibas and her two young sons, Ariel and Kfir, I am missing the small connections that make the world go round.

Broken Hearted

In my blog posted on November 2, 2023, I questioned the world’s silence in response to the murder and kidnapping of Israeli civilians. I never imagined I would ask the same questions well over a year later. I feel angry, lost, horrified, persecuted and significantly unconnected to humanity. If you don’t know who I’m referring to, if you don’t know the meaning behind the orange broken heart emoji being posted by Jews all over the internet, this post is for you. It’s also to remind me why I write it.

Shiri Bibas and her red-headed four-year-old, and nine-month-old sons were kidnapped from their home in Israel on October 7, 2023. After holding on to hope and praying for all the innocent civilians abducted, I know many parents, regardless of religion, said a special prayer for Shiri, Ariel and Kfir Bibas. The image of Shiri holding her children tight against her chest, her face awash with terror, is an image seared in our minds. We wanted to believe that no one, no matter what their grievance, could be capable of ripping a mother and her children from their home to murder them. Even, minutes ago, with the confirmation that two of the bodies are, in fact, Ariel and Kfir, I wanted to believe it was a mistake. I wanted to believe that Yarden Bibas, abducted and held separately from his wife and children and returned after nearly 500 days in captivity, would see his children alive. That will not happen. As of this post, Israel has confirmed that one of the bodies returned is NOT Shiri Bibas.

People have been posting that there are no words. I have words. Savages. Monsters. Inhumane. Terror. Shameless.

History Repeated

I just finished reading The Boys in the Boat, the story of the United States rowing team that won the gold in the 1936 Olympics held in Germany. I can’t help thinking how Hitler camouflaged his regime’s racist, militaristic character, antisemitic agenda and plans for territorial expansion as he dazzled foreign spectators and journalists with an image of a peaceful, tolerant Germany. Now, has Hamas’s propaganda fooled the world as Hitler once did? What else can explain the world’s outrage at Israel’s response to a terror attack?

Deafening Silence

The world didn’t believe it then. How can they not believe it now? We have images and witnesses. Where is humanity? Are their eyes closed? Or are their eyes closed just to Jews? Where are the small connections of hope and light and love that make the world go round?

I don’t know. I do know that this is not the first time in Jewish history that we find ourselves alone, surrounded by people who refuse to see. So, for those who have not heard of the Bibas family, it’s my responsibility to make sure you hear their names and their story. Because no matter who you are or who you blame, you can’t blame Ariel and Kfir Bibas.

May their memory be not just a blessing, but a demand for justice and peace. May the small connections that make the world go round find themselves not just in beautiful books like How to Read a Book, but in the world around me. We need those connections, now more than ever, not just for Jews, but for humanity.

Thanks, Monica Wood, this is one great line.

If you’d like to read more about How to Read a Book click here.

If you’d like to read about me, click here.