Dear Friends,

Jews around the world are in mourning, our hearts shattered by the horrific murder of Israeli hostages at the hands of Hamas. At the same time, while we are relieved that the terror bus bombings caused no injuries yesterday, the intent was to kill and maim hundreds of Israelis.

We had hoped, and fervently prayed, for a different outcome for the Bibas and Lifshitz families.

In particular, Hamas' horrific and macabre torture of the Bibas family in falsely claiming to return the body of Shiri Bibas, along with her murdered babies, Kfir and Ariel, and octogenarian Oded Lifshitz, underscores their utter disregard for human life. The unimaginable cruelty of returning Kfir and Ariel’s bodies to Israel without their mother is a chilling testament to their inhumanity and yet another cruel reminder of the depths of barbarity to which Hamas is willing to sink.

The pain is universal among Jews, stretching across continents, uniting a people in sorrow and rage. Yet, as Jewish communities mourn, the rest of the world looks on with indifference—or worse, with open support for Hamas.

This is the unbearable reality that fuels a shifting tide of emotions, swinging violently between grief and fury. How can the world not see? How can it not recognize the evil that has unfolded before its very eyes? In some cities, people celebrate, waving the flag of those who carried out these executions. In universities, protesters chant slogans that justify murder, erasing the humanity of the victims and do so with impunity as all orders of government obfuscate, instead of enforcing Canadian laws. In Gaza, Palestinian children dance, sing, and rejoice at the sight of murdered Israelis.

The world’s silence is deafening, its cheers for Hamas, an unbearable betrayal. There is no way to mourn without also feeling the burning rage of injustice and abandonment.

Yet even in this darkness, there is resolve—an ironclad promise that these lives will not be forgotten.

Oded, Kfir, and Ariel. Say their names.

We pray for Shiri and all Israeli hostages and demand their return. Now.

A short time ago, we received a message from Ben-Gurion University of the Negev President, Professor Daniel Chamovitz with his personal reflections about the events of recent days. You can click below to read the full message.

Shabbat Shalom,

Andrea

The entire BGU community is stricken by grief and mourning at the loss of our students, staff and faculty who were murdered and killed in the line of duty during the Iron Swords war.

IN MEMORIAM