A Released Hostage Speaks in St. Louis
I attended the amazing address by former hostage Eli Sharibi last week at the Jewish Book Festival in St. Louis.
On one hand it was shocking to see so much security at an event in the midwest. On the other , it was reassuring to see more than a thousand attendees even though there was an admission charge.
I was surprised to see how little Eli thought about himself. I think I would have wanted to kill myself if I were kept first in a house then in a tunnel and almost starved to death while having a modest shower once a month with no news from the outside world. He wanted to survive for his family. However, when he was released in February learned that his wife and daughters had been killed. He did not speak of revenge. I know many people have criticized Israel's tactics. While I understand that point of view, if my family had been killed I would have wanted revenge.
Here is a link to a book review.