Dear Zecharya, Zvi, Yehuda, Ron, Guy, Majdi, and Gilad,
As I get ready for Passover, it's worth reflecting that your tremendous sacrifices allow me to celebrate the holiday of freedom in Jerusalem with my wife and children — in freedom and safety.
Many Israelis will add an extra chair to their seder as a show of solidarity. But for your families, the extra setting isn't an abstract political statement. You eat the "bread of affliction" but do not drink from the "cup of freedom." There have been little to no signs of life in the 27 years since the Battle of Sultan Yakoub and the battles, abductions and disappearances of subsequent years.
May you all be reunited soon with your families, and may we all be able to celebrate the Festival of Freedom together. Happy Passover, Zecharya, Zvi, Yehuda, Ron, Guy, Majdi and Gilad — wherever you are.
Pesach Benson
HonestReporting