Parshat Shemot 2025 (revised)

Waiting for the shoe to drop is ingrained in Judaism starting with this line. It is a generational trauma response, no matter how good things are, all those contributions to society can just be forgotten. It is a common joke that all Jewish holidays can be summarized as, "They tried to kill us. They failed. Now let's eat."

The Menorah, stolen from the temple, was reclaimed as a symbol of the state of Israel. On October 7th, our mothers, fathers, and children were stolen and marched out of Israel, like the Romans marched out the Menorah.

A year ago I drew these hostages and prayed, "May this ceasefire hold, and may they be carried back to us safely, to the arms of their loved ones, a symbol of hope." Some hostages were released soon after, but the war continued. Eventually a deal was reached and all the living hostages and all but one of the bodies of those killed on October 7 and afterwards in captivity have been returned.

A lot has changed since I made this drawing. The figures are abstract, loosely based on photos, but it is hard to see those Bibas babies together with their mother knowing what we know now. I can no longer tell you which figure is Ron Gvili, whose body still remains in Gaza 823 days later, but I pray that he will be returned and his family given peace.

While we can never forget the past, we have to move forward towards rebuilding.

May we have a lasting peace and may Ron Gvili's body be returned to his family.