Each at their home,
Each at their work,
together as a community,
In Israel and Jewish communities
worldwide,
the central event will take place
at the Western Wall Plaza,
We all pause for a minute and say
For the release of the captives,
for the healing of the wounded,
And for the well- being
of our soldiers.
This is a wake-up call to action.
To reach the decision-makers,
we will start our awakening from
bottom up.
The people of Israel and Jewish
communities worldwide are coming
together to end the suffering,
to free the captives in Gaza.
To succeed we need to return
to our foundations.
No matter which house we grew up
in, the call of Shema Yisrael is part
of our heritage
The most fundamental belief
that we are all one.
It has been preserved throughout
generations on every continent,
country, city, village, or kibbutz;
anyone who says Shema Yisrael is
part of the people of Israel.
We will connect to the strength of
our shared past together with the
desire to change reality, for one
moment in the Fast of Esther, the
day when, according to tradition,
all requests are answered and
symbolizes the victory of
the Jewish people.
All surveys prove that the concern
for the well-being of the captives is
shared by all Israeli citizens;
everyone wants to express
solidarity and empathy with the
captives and their families,
but not everyone has found the way.
The great Kriat Shema Yisrael will
unite us all and restore the value of
togetherness for Israeli society,
the values we were all raised on.
A united and empathetic
community can be the most
significant force for change.
We are all awakening together!
"Eliyah and Omer grew up in different
homes. One goes to the sea on Saturdays,
the other to the synagogue. But they all eat
apples dipped in honey on Rosh Hashanah,
light candles on Hanukkah… Both stood
silently on Memorial Day… Our beauty as a
nation lies in the different varieties that
make us the strongest fabric in the world."
Niva Venekart, the mother of Omer, 22,
kidnapped to Gaza from the party in Re'im
"When we are together, we are strong, we
are a force, we will overcome any enemy."
Sigi Cohen, the mother of Eliyah, 26,
kidnapped from the party in Re'im
"Ditza and I may not always see eye to eye
on the strategy, what is more correct to do,
but we see eye to eye on our strength
together."
Mirav Leshem Gonen, the mother of Romy, 23,
kidnapped from the party in Re'im
"We are in pain but not broken… We are one
family, when we feel it, we can overcome."
Rabbi Itiel Goldwicht