Not an easy morning. As joyous as it is to know that Ohad Ben Ami, Or Levy, and Eli Sharabi are finally in Israel after 491 days in Hamas captivity, it was difficult seeing the images of them, so frail and clearly malnourished. They are all returning to a very different reality. Or Levy, 34, was at the Nova music festival with his wife. They took refuge from the rockets in a shelter on the highway, which later became known as the Reim "death shelter" where his wife was murdered, along with 15 others, and Or was taken hostage. They have a 3-year-old son, who was told yesterday that his father was finally found after months of searching for him. Ohad Ben Ami, 56, was abducted from his home in Be'eri together with his wife, Raz, who was released last November. His daughters have been fighting for his release and now he is finally home, though it will still take time until Be'eri becomes livable again. Eli Sharabi, 52, is also from Be'eri, and on October 7th his wife and two teenage daughters were murdered while he was taken hostage. It's not clear if he knows what happened to them, or if he knows that his brother Yossi, who was also taken hostage, was killed as a result of an IDF strike. Their brother Sharon has been fighting for Eli's release and to bring back Yossi's body for a proper burial in Israel. In a recent interview, he said that when he'll hug his brother, it will be a collective hug, also in the name of the citizens who worked for his release, the soldiers who were killed in the war, and the injured. I can't stop thinking about the important role that Sharon and his other siblings will play in Eli's recovery, just as Or's siblings will be an important part of Or's recovery and will help him adjust to a very different life without his wife.
Elai Botner, who wrote the lyrics for this song, shared that it is about his brother, Ofer, who suffered from brain damage after a drug overdose. Ofer struggled to recover and lead a normal life and Elai wrote the lyrics after Ofer was asked to leave a luxury car dealership because of his appearance. Elai wanted to cheer him up, and maybe also cheer himself up, with an optimistic message of hope. Earlier this week we saw footage of the 5 released IDF surveillance soldiers singing this song onstage with Elai and his band, in a special performance for them and their friends. It was so emotional to see the girls sing the chorus after all they had been through and I can only hope that all the released hostages will be able to eventually build a new and happy life.
Don't be scared, aspire to know
Don't worry, you'll fulfill.
Whoever has the power to touch
Has the power to comfort.
Don't be scared, days will come
And seasons will pass
You'll see that we'll make it to the end
Don't be scared of a biting reality
And cold people.
Everyone carries in their stomach
But you only see little.
How much power a moment has
And forever is infinite.
After every tear that will drop
There will be laughter
And this is the moment
Here comes the hour
What will the wind bring?
What will melt the silence?
There are reasons for everything
There is a never-ending dream
At the end of the road you'll be happy
Let's move forward to the horizon
To the good sun
It's far but you'll make it
A bit tired and a bit thirsty for love
Which will wait for you, pick it like a fresh fruit
And then rest, fall asleep in the shade
And this is the moment
Here comes the hour
What will the wind bring?
What will melt the silence?
There are reasons for everything
There is a never-ending dream
At the end of the road you'll be happy
I used the help of this excellent translation from LyricsTranslate.
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