The image is fixed. Seared in my mind, in my memory, forever. The lioness, Shiri Bibas HY’D, holding her boys in her arms, the fear and determination written on her face. The pictures and videos of her family life that we all saw in the aftermath tell a story of love, happiness, laughter and contentment. But on that day, and for the short time before their brutal murder at the hands of Hamas and their confederates in Gaza, the laughter was stilled, the contentment upended, and the happiness receded to a spark of whatever hope she carried in her last days.
Nevertheless, especially on that day, the love was evident. It is what stands behind the fear for her kids and the determination to protect them that I just described. The love of a Jewish mother, not the first in our history to experience such a moment, only the latest. Shiri will remain an example for us all.
The sound of her voice still rings out. I can hear her even in the silence. The strength, for many months the hope, and since last August the anguish. Rachel Goldberg-Polin spoke to us all, to her Jewish family, to the American people, to the world. She spoke about her Hersh, HY’D, about his heroic friend, about the life and home she and Jon had created in Israel, and, yes, about the demands for a deal she expected the Israeli government to make. She told us about Hersh and his life, and she also shared the wisdom, knowledge and insight she had as a Jewish educator for decades. From every pulpit - in front of 300,000 in Washington, in front of the nation at the DNC, on every media outlet she could find, she also demanded that a silent, or adversarial world see her Hersh and all the other hostages as more than an object of their scorn for Israel and the Jewish people and raise voices for their release.
In every word, her love was evident. It is what stands behind her calm and focused and unceasing advocacy even after her beautiful Hersh was brutally executed in a dark tunnel in Gaza, after being starved and abused for 10 months. The love of a Jewish mother, not the first in our history to experience such a moment, only the latest. Rachel will continue to inspire us all.
These are the Jewish mothers I choose to platform today, ahead of Mother’s Day. These are the Jewish mothers who live and who died for their kids, for their families, for the hostages, for their communities, and for their people. These are the Jewish mothers who bear the name as a waving flag, as so many unsung heroines of our community and our people do every day, even while others may wear it or use it as a convenience or a fig leaf.
Every one of our Jewish mothers has earned the name. May all those who use it, carry it with pride and love for all Bnei Yisrael, all the Children of Israel.