“They’re not all Israelis.”
“No. They’re not.”
A child, about six years old, is scrutinizing the faces staring out from their posters. He is voicing his thoughts out loud as he goes. His mom following behind him.
“This one is old. Look, mom. He is 67. And this one is 4.”
The mom sighs.
We’re in Tel Aviv.
Outside the Museum of Art. A public space with street exhibitions all dedicated to raising awareness for the hostages. This area has become known as 'The Hostages and Missing Square.'
The Shabbat table exhibit is here.
The yellow chairs are here.
Two sandglass (hourglass) exhibits are here. One has run out. The other still shows falling grains of sand.
A new flower display dedicated to the child hostages draws a big audience.
And there’s the wall. Covered with posters and scrawled messages, prayers and doodles including hearts and flags.
“This one. And this one. And this one. Are they Israelis?”
“No. They’re not,” the mom replies.
“So, why are they here?”
“They were kidnapped, too.”
“So, they also need to come back and go home?”
“Yes. They also need to come back and go home,” she replies. You can hear the sorrow in her voice.
The child runs ahead a bit. Stops in front of the wall. Points to a face.
“And this one?”
“Yes,” the mom says. Exhales. “All of them.”
These are the Stories of Resilience.
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