The Babies Are Dead

As I write this I am acutely aware that some will think, “well what of all the other babies? What of all the other babies that have been killed since October 7th, 2023. What about the children of Gaza that have died, too?”  And I will say,” yes.” And we mourn these children, too. And that is not what this writing is about. This writing is about these babies.  And writing about these babies does not negate the loss of other babies, too. Both can be true.
 
Do not turn away from the murder of these babies because you are mourning the loss of other babies, too.  Both can be true.
 
And today I am writing about these babies. About Ariel and Kfir Bibas (know their names).
 
These babies.
 
These babies were murdered. And now they are dead.
 
On Tuesday, February 18th, just last week, we learned that these babies are dead.  That Ariel and Kfir Bibas were murdered.  Their bodies were returned on this past Thursday. They were supposed to be returned with their mom. With their mom who was murdered. Her name is Shiri (know her name).  Their murdered mom was supposed to be returned home with her murdered babies.
 
She was not. Her murdered body was not returned with her murdered babies. A different body was sent, that was claimed to be her. A different body was sent home with her babies.
 
These babies.
 
We held such hope for these two boys.  They were a symbol, we hoped, in a way that broke some barriers. Because they are babies.
 
There is something about the innocent that often times will temper the tempers. There is something about babies that often will allow for perhaps a bit of compassion and kindness to seep in.
 
We hoped that.  We hoped that there would be some love shown for these babies.
 
That perhaps they were nurtured a bit. That perhaps their mom was cared for a bit so she could care for her babies. That perhaps they would come home.
 
But no…
 
They were murdered instead. 
 
On Tuesday, last week, we learned that the babies are dead. Their bodies came home to Israel on Thursday. With a body that was not their mother. And the murdered body of an 85-year-old peace activist.
 
I want to write how they came home. I want to share what this was, this procession of depravity.  That they came home by way of a procession of depravity. There are better words than mine to share this with you.  And I quote Ahmed Fouad Alkhatib--

"The depravity of armed men thinking it's courageous to parade the bodes of literal toddlers and their [mother] as some trophy for victory; the sickness, evil, and stupidity required to believe that marching with a locked coffin of an 85-year-old peace activist [his name is Oded Lipshitz, know his name], an 85-year-old peace activist who did so much for Gaza's is somehow good for the Palestinian cause. Instead of having a parade for a dead mother, her two babies, and an elderly man of peace, their bodies should have been handled by medical crews with no armed terrorists in sight. This could have been done differently."

This should have been done differently.

​...
 
What else should I share…
 
Should I share that when Hamas marched through the streets with a coffin the size of a baby, that there was cheering. That this was a parade. Will it matter if I share this.
 
What will it take to notice this. To take notice of this.
 
Should I share that the babies were murdered in just this past November. Should I share that they were murdered with bare hands. That forensic evidence shows that these terrorists did not shoot these small boys, they killed them with their bare hands.
 
Hamas says “no” we did not do this. 
 
Should I share that Hamas claimed they had mistakenly sent home the wrong body that was supposed to be the body of the mother of these murdered babies. “An honest mistake.” They said it was an honest mistake. “My bad,” they said. 
 
This was not a mistake. They do not make mistakes like this.  They kept this mother’s body of these murdered babies to continue to inflict pain on a family. On a community. On humanity.
 
They released her body a day later. A day later she came home. “My bad,” they said. And then they sent her murdered body home.
 
What will it take to take notice.
 
This photo that is included with this writing today, this is a painting, by Ilan Block, of the Bibas Family. The Bibas Family are asking that we share this. That we share images of this mother and her babies. That not only Jews all over the world take notice. That everyone share this.  That this is a human atrocity not a Jewish one. That this is a mark on our humanity. And we need to take notice.  
 
The babies are dead. We are in mourning for them. We are in mourning. The Jewish Community is mourning. Are you?
​