Efrat Gosh - To See the Light

In memory of the beautiful souls ruthlessly murdered on October 7th. This heartbreaking video first aired about two weeks after the massacre when the fate of so many festival-goers was still unclear. Ofir Tzarfati, who was celebrating his 27th birthday at the festival, was declared dead in late November and on December 1st the IDF announced that it had rescued his body from Gaza. Ruth Peretz, 16, born with cerebral palsy and muscular dystrophy, was a fixture at music raves and was confirmed dead after many days of uncertainty. Inbar Heyman, 27, volunteered at the festival as a "helper", assisting those who felt unwell. In December her family was informed of her murder in captivity. Mia Schem, 22, was released in late November and has said that she can't begin her recovery until the remaining hostages return home, a statement echoed by other hostages who were released. 

Although this beautiful song wasn't released as a memorial song, it quickly became one and was often played on the radio on quiet days after terrorist attacks and at memorial ceremonies. Because of the lyrics, up until October 7th it was often associated with surviving the Holocaust and the forest that I would see in my mind when listening to it was in Eastern Europe. Now I see in my mind the Reim forest and when I listen to the lyrics I think of the hostages in the tunnels yearning to be free. We won't be able to see the light until they will be able to see the light.

For I saw my path disappear

In a tangled forest, among grove walls

And in the bleeding ground

My feet were planted, struck roots

And for a moment I could hear

Leaves teaching their song

And I wanted to rise high

To bloom with them

I knew the drops of the rain

Gathering inside me, falling under me

And the cold and desperate wind

Froze me, weighed on me

And for a moment I could touch

The edge of the gray pain

And I wanted to rise high

To see the light

To see the light

They say the sky is blue above us

Full of lights

Maybe one day I too will be able to see

To see

And I fell to the ground, silently

I closed my eyes, I sealed my heart

And I felt how I was breaking down

From all my pain, from all my loneliness

And for a moment I could run away

Like a feather on a bird's wing

And I managed to rise high

To see the light

To see the light