My heart is broken.
Ariel and Kfir crept into our hearts and felt like our precious little cousins.
I remember first getting to know those little boys, days after October 7. I wore the Ariel t-shirt at times daily. I took Ariel to the Nelson Mandela bridge and to the beach in Durban as we raised awareness of the hostages being held by Hamas in Gaza. He joined me at the solidarity events in our community in Johannesburg, at Wits university and at a Church event in Katlehong. He accompanied me to many protests.
When the SABC accepted the Hamas spokesperson’s lie that there were “no child hostages” we set up 37 teddy bears with the photos of the children, including baby Kfir and his brother Ariel.
In February 2024 I visited the Bibas home in Nir Oz and saw the toys outside their burned home. In the garden were 2 garden gnomes with the well-known orange hair.
When we commemorated the 1-year anniversary of October 7 at our Oct7 Square in Johannesburg we recreated the garden gnomes and the thousands of visitors prayed for the safe return of these precious boys.
I am back in Israel this week with the US Conference of Presidents. On Monday we returned to Kibbutz Nir Oz. On the entry gate were the photos of Shiri, Ariel and Kfir joining the other hostages from the kibbutz still being held in Gaza. This evening we heard the devastating news.
We mourn with the Bibas family.
Tomorrow our delegation will be at Hostage Square in Tel Aviv and we will “be comforted amoung the mourners of Zion and Jerusalem’.
RIP Shiri, Ariel and Kfir. RiP Oded Lifshitz whose son we met at the Knesset yesterday.
May the remaining hostages return home speedily.
Wendy Kahn
National Director
