The following are remarks made by Nelly Ben Tal, Senior Israel Community Emissary (Shlicha), at the Community Vigil & Shofar Blast at Hebrew Educational Alliance, presented in partnership with JEWISHcolorado and Temple Sinai, on Wednesday, September 4, 2024.
“הותר לפרסום”,—is a Hebrew phrase with profound and unsettling significance for Israelis. “Cleared for publication” are the words that we hear or read before the media announces the names of those who have been killed on any given day. These words often freeze us in our tracks, pulling us back into a harsh, sometimes unimaginable reality that lies behind the headlines.
In these words, lie the tension between the need to know and the need to protect. They convey the complex anticipation of uncovering information, along with the fear of what might be revealed. It’s a moment of realization, where the truth may be painful, but necessary for understanding and coming to terms with.
On Sunday morning, Israel time, Saturday night here in Denver, we were faced with another “cleared for publication,” with information we had dreaded for many months. The bodies of the hostages Carmel Gat, Ori Danino, Alex Lobanov, Almog Sarusi, Eden Yerushalmi, and Hirsch Goldberg-Polin were recovered from a tunnel in Gaza and brought back to Israel. The families had been notified.
Top from left: Hersh Goldberg-Polin z'”l, Ori Danino z”l, Eden Yerushalmi z”l
Bottom from left: Almog Sarusi z”l, Alex Lobanov z”l, Carmel Gat z”l
It was cleared for publication that shortly before their bodies were found, Carmel, Ori, Alex, Hirsch, Eden, and Almog were still alive. They were so close to freedom. As Hirsch’s mother, Rachel, asked him in her last speech—survive.
It was cleared for publication that the hope of their six families, friends, and communities, along with the hope of Israelis, Jews, and supporters around the world, was snuffed out and replaced by overwhelming feelings of pain, endless sorrow, and anger—so much anger for the six lives that were shattered.
How do we say goodbye to people we’ve learned to love through names and faces, without ever truly knowing them? How do we say goodbye to people whose pain we have felt as if it were our own?
Today, the 1st of Elul, at the beginning of the month of mercy and forgiveness, we ask you, Carmel, Ori, Almog, Hirsch, Eden, Alex, and your families, for forgiveness if we didn’t do enough to bring you back home safely.
And from God, we ask for mercy—for the hostages still in Gaza, for the soldiers, for the displaced, and a little bit for ourselves, as our hearts are already shattered and may not withstand another “cleared for publication.”
Please email Nelly Ben Tal at nbental@jewishcolorado.org with questions or comments.