'World
PRI S ONER SWAP AFTERMATH
Abby Maroko,
Deep Emotions
Prisoner exchange prompts vow to remember.
17, and Rachael
Malerman, 17, of
Temple Israel in
West Bloomfield
sit in an old
synagogue
in Tsfat.
Ben Young
Special for the Jewish News
feeling swept over me two days
ago, an emotion that I have not
experienced in over a year. As all
of you know, Israel's headlining story of
the month has been the exchange of two
kidnapped Israel Defense Forces soldiers
for several captured terrorists between the
State of Israel and Hezbollah. I had antici-
pated the conditions of the transaction
from the moment I read about it a couple
of weeks ago.
The trade-off was made on Wednesday
morning, July 16, at Rosh Hanikra, a city
bordering Lebanon. As luck would have
it, I was only 20 miles from the border city
when it took place. I fully expected the two
soldiers to be dead; there was absolutely
no doubt in my mind. After all, Hezbollah
is not an organization that rose to power
by playing fair.
However, when our tour guide, Dani,
announced that the two men had been
returned in coffins, I cried. It was silent.
It was discreet. Nobody saw. But when I
heard the news, I
could not resist the
onslaught of emo-
tion.
Ever since the
announcement two
days ago at 9:30
a.m., I have been
searching myself. I
have been trying to
Ben Young
understand why I
shed tears for strang-
ers that I already knew had been dead for
two years. As deep as I searched my soul, I
could not find a definite answer as to why
I cried that day. This gives me a chance to
draw my own hypothesis.
The tragic return of these young sol-
diers represents the death of every Israeli
I have ever read about or watched on
CNN. Another suicide bombing. Another
enemy missile launched. Another nuclear
threat from Iran. Back home, I view these
events with minimal interest, sometimes
total apathy. Wednesday's news has trans-
formed me, converting all my former apa-
thy into the strongest empathy.
While looking into the country of
Lebanon, watching the AK-47 emblem on
the Hezbollah flag waving prominently in
the sky, I made a promise to myself that I
will never break. Every time I hear about
the death of an Israeli, civilian or soldier,
I will remember that Wednesday morn-
ing. Every once in a while, I will take a
Teen Mission
staffer Zack
Chutz and Rabbi
Josh Bennett of
Temple Israel in
West Bloomfield
lead Kabbalat
Shabbat
services by the
Sea of Galilee.
Above, left: Brett Kline, 17, and Jack Nathan, 14, of Temple Shir Shalom in West
Bloomfield, and Teen Mission staffer Gabe Neistein wear black mud at the Dead Sea.
Above, right: Jaymie Cohen, 17, of Shaarey Zedek of Oakland County, Israeli Anat
Shniderman and Lisa Shapiro, 17, of Congregation Beth Ahm in West Bloomfield eat
falafel in Tsfat.
moment to reflect on the untimely deaths
of so many Israelis. Hopefully, I will find it
difficult to hold back the tears.
Ben Young, 17, attends Temple Israel
in West Bloomfield. He read his essay
at Shabbat services.
Valuing Life
Recently, the differences between Israel
and its surrounding countries have been
highlighted in the hostage situation
between Hezbollah and Israel. When it was
all done, we had two coffins; and they had
back terrorists who had ripped apart the
lives of Israeli citi-
zens. We saw how
much Israel values
life and how far they
will go to preserve it.
Though some might
see it as a weakness
because we will give
Hillary Hacker
so much for one life,
I see it as the great-
est sign of our respect for everything we
have, especially human life. ❑
Hillary Hacker, 16, attends Congregation
Shir Tikvah in Troy.
Above: Chad Kalisky, 17, of Congregation
B`nai Moshe in West Bloomfield enjoys
the Dead Sea.
July 24 • 2008
A23