I was in Crown Heights, Brooklyn for a short visit and just returned to Sudbury.
Like everyone else, we are processing the terrible and devastating news.
Yesterday I was with my young daughter the whole day, so I was keeping my emotions to myself.
As we walked around, we saw a group of women and girls, who were mothers and siblings of hostages, that have come to New York to join and be a part of the Chabad Shluchot convention.
They stood on Eastern Parkway, the main road in the neighborhood, with sweatshirts with the names of their loved ones who are still being held hostage.
They were all holding orange balloons for the Bibas family and then did a prayer together with multiple Chabad Rebbitzens and Shluchot, and sent the balloons upwards as the wind carried them heavenward....
My daughter kept asking me what was all that about and why did they have orange balloons.
Then another person came over to us and told us did you hear that there was Brit Mila today in Israel and someone was given the name Kfir Ariel.... the names of the two Bibas boys...
An hour later as we walked down Kingston Avenue, Leah who was holding my hand looked up to me, and said "Tatty, did something happen to the Bibas boys?"
She looked up at my eyes and she knew......
She started crying in the street, I hugged her so tight as my own eyes filled with tears...
There are no words...
Millions of us around the world today are carrying broken orange hearts, a sign of the deep unity of our people, wherever we may be.
We all saw our own children in the beautiful innocent faces of the Bibas boys....
We will keep praying, keep hoping, and keep doing more good deeds and Mitzvot to help bring home everyone.
The orange balloons sent to heaven have no words...
Just carrying the broken hearts of our people to G-d and to heaven..
We will not forget...
ה' עוז לעמו יתן ה' יברך את עמו בשלום
Let's make our children smile today...
Let's cause them to have another happy moment, another joyful Jewish experience or Mitzvah, and another moment of closeness, connection and inspiration!
Am Yisrael Chai!
Please join us at ChabadSudbury for a short vigil at 4:30pm!
Candles Lighting in the Sudbury area is at 5:09pm!
The world needs your light!
Shabbat Shalom & Good Shabbos
Yisroel