Mother of slain hostage Tsahi Idan urges public to hold on to value of mutual responsibility now that all are home

Dvora Idan, mother of slain hostage Tsahi Idan, encourages the crowd at the final Kabbalat Shabbat service at Tel Aviv’s Hostages Square to hold fast to the value of mutual responsibility now that the final slain captive, Ran Gvili, has been brought back.

“We don’t leave anyone behind,” she says. “This is a value anchored in the spirit of the IDF, and now, as we are a moment after the return of the last hostage, Ran, for a respectful and worthy burial, we all saw the happiness that the value of friendship is back in its rightful place.”

She thanks those gathered and adds, “You are here, and the pain is heavy, but there is a lot of hope. With this hope, I believe we can act.”

She continues, “We can act, strengthen and build. Despite all of the arguments, the anger, the hate, there is one value that unites us, a value that everyone knows, and it is ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’ It’s not just a verse in the Torah, it’s a sentence that obligates and strengthens us, our society, this nation.”

“Now our responsibility is clear: To act with determination to keep the unity, the responsibility, and the love,” she says. “This is a duty, not just a right, on behalf of everyone who is no longer with us.”

She adds, “I call on all of us: Don’t give up on our values. Take responsibility, do the work together with love and respect. Now is the time to choose a path of unity, love and hope.”