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What if it were me? What if I were not born in New York City, but in Nir Oz? Not 2002, but in 2022?
From the first time I saw the photos of Ariel and Kfir Bibas, I couldn’t help but imagine them as my brother and me. And not just because of our red hair: We were about the same ages apart and we practiced the same Judaism.
The barbarity and scale of Oct. 7, 2023, was immense, so much so that many of the stories from that day have not been covered in the mainstream media. The American-Israeli Siman Tov family in Kibbutz Nir Oz, were all murdered in their own bedroom. Ranging in age from 2 to 35, they were burned alive.
Shiri Bibas and her children, Shiri Bibas, Kfir Bibas, Ariel Bibas. (Courtesy: Hostages Families Forum)
Their neighbors, the Bibas family, were rather taken as hostages. Parents Yarden and Shiri, as well as Ariel, who was just 4, and Kfir, who was 10 months old, were taken hostage. It’s not know precisely when their captors killed Shiri and her two sons, but Israeli authorities have determined the boys were strangled. Yarden was kept alive underneath Gaza, starved, beaten and psychologically tortured, for over 500 days. He returned to Israel as part of the hostages-for-terrorists exchange with Israel.
During his time in captivity, there was a glimmer of hope that Yarden Bibas’ wife and two children would one day come home. Despite knowing the story of the Shem Tov family and countless others that prove the barbarity of Hamas, there was a small feeling that they might have the chance to grow up – like I did.
It wasn’t just our hair that made me feel a connection – slowly, as more photos came out, I realized there was much more in common. We had all dressed up as Batman. We had the same stuffed animals. We had the same smiles and laugh. And so I kept wondering, what if it had been me?
Would Hamas still have kidnapped me and murdered my classmates? Would they still burn down my house and raid my preschool? Would they rape my teachers, and livestream their destruction for the world to see? Would Hamas still torture my family and hold my fate over my father’s head? Would they brutally strangle my defenseless brother and me with their bare hands? Would the Palestinians cheer and whistle as Hamas paraded my body around in a sick celebration ceremony?
The Bibas family, from left: Yarden, Ariel, Shiri, and Kfir (Ofri Bibas Levy)
Would my classmates at the University of Pennsylvania still chant “resistance is justified,” “Al Qasam make us proud,” and in Arabic “From the river to the sea, Palestine will be Arab!” Would they set up an encampment to shout “you’re next” and “Hamas should do it again“while Jewish students projected footage from the massacres? Would they lead rallies with PFLP flags and the picture of Abu Obeida – the Hamas official spokesperson? Would so many of my non-Jewish friends stay silent?
Would professors at my university still tear down posters with my face? Would they still celebrate October 7 – tweeting “while we were asleep, Palestine reinvented a new way of life” and parade with posters that say “victory to the Palestinian resistance?” Would the professors defend Hamas in debates and do mental gymnastics to bring an academic and reasonable defense of Hamas?
Yes they would have. Hamas and their global supporters would have done the exact same to my family and me if they had the chance.
Now I can’t see their baby photos without seeing my own, and I can’t see my own without seeing them. Neither should you.
This is not unique to me. Hamas has kidnapped, terrorized, and murdered people of all ages, from all walks of life, and of all nationalities and religions. Kfir was the youngest, and Shlomo Mantzur was the oldest hostage at 86. It was recently discovered that Mantzur was also murdered on Oct. 7 and only his body was being held hostage. Hamas terrorized farmers, peace advocates, software engineers, and journalists. On Oct. 7, they went after anyone they could get their hands on – Jewish, Arab, Muslim, Beduin, and Christian. People from more than 25 nationalities were taken hostage – including American citizens like Edan Alexander, who is still being held hostage. Visit the Mapping the Massacres Project to find details of the victims of Oct. 7. I guarantee you will find so many heartbreaking stories that have so much in common with you.
The next time you hear chanting in the streets, see people ripping down hostage posters, or see people trying to intimidate Jews – imagine it was you and your immediate family.
If you were waiting for a time to educate your friends, it has come. If you were waiting for a time to support Israel, it is here. If you were waiting for a time to call out Hamas’s barbarity, to push back against antisemitism, or speak up, it is now.
This article was adapted from Noah Rubin’s speech at the University of Pennsylvania Hillel’s memorial for Ariel, Kfir, and Shiri Bibas and Oded Lifshitz.
