From the wilderness to the Promised Land

This Sukkot, the calendar may have turned and seasons changed, yet for the hostages and their families, for the soldiers on the front lines, and for the Jewish people as a whole, time has stood still. We feel as if we are still struggling to find our way out, still wandering in the wilderness of 7 October 2023.

Two years on, 48 people remain captive and tortured in the tunnels of Gaza. Two years on, the sirens still wail across Israel, and families continue running to bomb shelters for cover from drones, rockets, and missiles. The funerals haven’t stopped. Antisemitic attacks and condemnations of Israel around the world grow louder with each passing day.

We were caught off guard on 7 October, not only by Hamas, whose barbarity will forever scar human history, but by the silence of so many we once called allies.

This betrayal cut especially deep in South Africa. Jews stood shoulder to shoulder with the liberation struggle; fought apartheid in the courts and in the streets; helped draft the Constitution; and disproportionately contributed to building our new democracy. Yet when Jewish blood was spilled, when Jewish children were dragged from their beds, our government hesitated to condemn the massacre. Instead, ministers donned keffiyehs and reached out to Hamas in a gesture of solidarity with our murderers. No effort was made to secure the release of South African hostages like Aviva Siegel and Channah Peri. The very government we had worked hand in hand with abandoned us in our darkest hour.

Yet Sukkot comes to teach us an ancient lesson that speaks directly to this moment. It reminds us of the temporary nature of our suffering, that even at our lowest point, when we feel lost in the wilderness, Jewish unity and faith can lead us toward the promised land.

During her visit to South Africa as part of The Base/Jewish National Fund Hostage Healing Programme, returned hostage Sapir Cohen shared a moment that captures this message. While she was held captive in Gaza, her captor watched television footage of protests in Israel calling for the release of the hostages. He turned to her and said, “When the Jews are united, you are unbeatable.” Even our enemies understand what we sometimes forget – that our strength lies in our unity; our survival in our solidarity.

And in the remarkable response of the Jewish people to this terrible tragedy lie the seeds of our redemption.

Across Israel, an entire generation answered the call. University students left their studies; young professionals left their jobs; newly married couples postponed their lives. They put on uniforms and went to defend their people, knowing the cost and accepting the burden. Too many made the ultimate sacrifice. But their courage reminds us that the Jewish people will never again go down without a fight.

In South Africa, our community rose up in support of Israel despite the political risks. We held protests, yellow ribbon campaigns, and vigils. We provided refuge for hundreds of traumatised children from the south of Israel at our field centre in the Lavi Forest in the Galilee. We hosted returned hostages and survivors, giving them a place of rest and healing while deepening the bonds between our community and Israel. We launched solidarity missions, bringing South African Jews to stand with Israelis at their most vulnerable moment.

Our resilience as a people is beginning to bear fruit. We are starting to see glimmers of hope for the return of all remaining hostages and the stirrings of new possibilities for regional peace. Arab and Muslim nations that once sought to destroy Israel are now working with Israel and the administration of United States President Donald Trump to seek an end to the conflict and ensure that Hamas will never again threaten the Jewish people or terrorise the people of Gaza. Resolving the Gaza tragedy will open the door to the continued expansion of the Abraham Accords and a more stable and prosperous Middle East.

Two years on from 7 October, as we cram into our sukkahs with family and friends as our ancestors did thousands of years ago in the desert, we again stand at that threshold between tragedy and renewal. But we can cross it only together, unified in purpose, steadfast in faith, and unwavering in our commitment to each other and to Israel. The path forward demands something from each of us: continued support for Israel’s defence and rebuilding; deeper connections within our community; and an unshakeable commitment to Jewish unity across all our differences.

May this year bring freedom where there is captivity, healing where there is suffering, and unity where there has been division. And may we emerge from 7 October not broken, but unbreakable, a people who remember wandering in the wilderness but walk boldly toward the promised land.

• Michael Kransdorff is chairperson of the Jewish National Fund South Africa.