A Soldier’s Letter to the Mothers of the Kidnapped Teens

Dear Racheli, Bat-Galim and Iris,

It wasn’t long ago that I was 16 years old. Today I am 19. Last weekend, as usual, I had the chance to spend Shabbat at home. As usual, I ate dinner around a beautiful table. I saw my family and friends, and I read and played football. Just like every week.

It was just like every week, except that last Shabbat wasn’t normal. It was bitter and sad because your sons, our brothers, couldn’t be with their families and friends. Eyal, Gilad and Naftali weren’t sitting around a beautiful dinner table. They didn’t have the chance to pray in synagogue. They couldn’t read or play football.

I wish that the world could hear this. I wish that the World Cup weren’t the media’s main focus. I wish that I could open my computer from anywhere in the world and see these events. Parents in Israel shudder when they hear this story, thinking “What if it were my son?” Teenagers tremble with fear, saying “It could have been me.”

We’re looking everywhere for your sons, and we’re determined to find them.  

Eyal, Gilad, Naftali – the entire nation is praying for your return. The whole army is working to bring you home. We will do everything so that your mothers can hold you in their arms again.

Sincerely,

Corporal Noemie

Corporal Noemie wrote this letter to the mothers of Eyal, Gilad and Naftali, the three teenagers abducted by Hamas. The world needs to hear her words.

Racheli, Bat-Galim and Iris