As we prepare for Tisha B’Av, we need little reminding of how fragile and fraught our existence as Jews can be even here in Israel. There have been daily reminders since Simchat Torah of the harsh realities of being a Jew whether in Eretz Yisrael or the diaspora.

We felt it most appropriate this year, therefore, to reshare two of the most powerful conversations we have had this season, the conversations we had with the Geudalia family whose son and brother Yosef fell defending the people of Israel on October 7, and with Rachel Goldberg and Jon Polin whose sone Hersh is still after more than 300 days being held as a hostage by Hamas.