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| Ruby Chen |
If Ruby Chen had not closed his talk by mentioning the anniversary, I'd never have thought of writing this on Oct. 7. But he did.
Ruby Chen does not have to speak to drive his message home. He wears his sorrow etched upon his face, his mouth set in a firm flat line.
When he does speak, at a breakfast for the Israeli ambassador during the recent Democratic National Convention in Chicago, he speaks plainly.
"We are 240 families," he begins, explaining that he will avoid politics. "We are not spokespeople for the state of Israel. We're just people who have this tragedy. We are families. Our loved ones have been abandoned, and have to come back."
Chen, 55, outlines his story.
He is holding up a large plasticized photo of his son, Itay Chen, bearded, grinning slyly, 19, along with the imperative, "Bring them home now!"
"When the time came, at age 18, to join the IDF is mandatory. In the Israeli army, he joined the tanks division. He excelled, as he has always been as a kid. He is the 'sandwich,' the middle one that needs to always find his path. A lot of extracurricular activities, from singing, dancing, climbing on walls. Playing professional basketball. Being in the Israel Boy Scouts, so he was big on giving back," Chen says.
"He excelled as well inside the tanks division. He was in a special tank, with special capabilities. On the morning of Oct.7, he called — not us, he has a girlfriend. She got the last call from him. He said 'They're here now,' he said. ... He was being operationalized. He was at a base, the one with the female soldiers who had their tragedy as well."
"At the time, it was hard to figure out what was going on. The videos started coming out and we knew it was something different. We were not able to get in contact with him. The day after, state of Israel, the police created a lost and found, a lost people compound."
"He is not physically identified. Not in one of the hospitals. We, as U.S. citizens, said 'OK, let's go to the U.S. embassy.' I don't want to get into politics. We are very much bipartisan. But I do have to say, we have been blessed by this administration. After four days, Secretary of State [Antony] Blinken came in, sat with all the U.S. families. President Biden had a call with the U.S. families on the first Friday. It was supposed to be a 15-minute call. He stayed on the phone an hour and a half."
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Hamas has has a year to release all the hostages, which would end the war.
ReplyDeleteBut they refuse, because the rotten violent leadership of Hamas & its masters in Tehran don't give a damn about anyone in Gaza & loves it when Israel kills Gazans, because then they can scream that Israel is committing genocide, which is total bullshit by any realistic definition of that word.
The sole instance of genocide in the last year was by Hamas when they slaughtered 1500 totally innocent people in Israel.
So Israel will keep grinding away there, until they have recovered any living hostages or their bodies, no matter how many Gazans die for people who like the Hamas leader Sinwar, who actually have no use for them, except as human shields. He's hiding deep in the tunnels they built using materials that were supposed to build housing in Gaza, but Israeli intelligence is so good, they managed to kill off most of the leadership of Iran's other lunatic terror group Hezbollah in Lebanon, which also cynically uses human shields to protect themselves & it failed miserably this time.
I like Joe Biden, I think he's done an excellent job in office, despite the utterly insane Re Thug Licons opposing everything in Congress, but now is the time to co-ordinate with Israel & destroy Iran's nuclear ambitions & also destroy their entire military & the factories that are building weapons for terrorists & Russia!
Well said, Clark St.
ReplyDeleteIt's odd what can bring the grief of others into full focus for people. Not that I didn't feel for the families and the people who have been affected by October 7th, I really do. But Mr. Chen brought it home by referring to watching the baseball with his sons. I've done the same with my three daughters and to think of an empty spot on the couch is painful. I'm catholic but understand mourning. I'll light a candle today for Itay and all of the victims murdered by Hamas. I hope that the following in not insulting coming from a non Jewish person: Min haShamayim Tenuhamu.
ReplyDeleteHeartbreaking
ReplyDeleteRelease all hostages now!! Surrender.
ReplyDeleteHamas could have ended the war at any time
People who are family of the hostages demonstrate the suffering of so many
Only Hamas or the Iranians can stop this war by renouncing the destruction of Israel and its people
Only then can a political solution be found
We'll all be dead and buried and they'll still be killing each other.
ReplyDeleteI've heard a lot about "Two-State Solution", but it seems to me that that wouldn't work; it just sets up another ghetto like Gaza was. What I think Israel needs is a One State Solution. The Palestinians need to be full citizens of Israel, with full rights -- and responsibilities (including enrollment in the IDF).
ReplyDeleteIt would likely take a generation (or more) to fully assimilate the Palestinian people, but it could be started. They are (provisional - not all rights yet) citizens, they can vote, they are integrated into the schools, the checkpoints are reduced to about the level of school security. The schools teach both Israeli and Palestinian history as Israeli history, the TV and radio do the same. They are all citizens of the same country.
There has to be something to offer the children other than becoming terrorists.
A one state solution won't work either. Israel does not want any Palistinians in the government. There would be so much animosity at this point.
Delete