My mother, Ahuva Ron, who has lost her eldest son Ishay, left, posthumously, a book of poems called Heartbreaks of Faith and Hope. I always carry this book with me. From my mother I have learned that even in difficult times we must cling to hope.
On the Eve of Rosh Hashanah she wrote:
God,
Take pity on mothers
Give them the strength to hurt –
Not to be broken,
To cry but not to be bitter,
To go on.
Then, a few days later, following Yom Kippur, she wrote:
To gather the wrecks of man –
Hope and grief.
And to build again –
With awe and compassion.
This is what we are doing here today, with awe and compassion we begin The March of Hope. We are building again, out of our own personal griefs, out of our fears, despair and concerns, a new hope, a hope which is the flame that illuminates our lives, a hope that is the essence of life, the belief in the human spirit, the hope of bringing up children to make love not war, the belief in the power of perseverance, and in the power of human brotherhood and friendship, the belief in the brotherhood of women which no power could withstand.
This potent friendship is what I have experienced in the past two years, in the Women Wage Peace movement. I felt it from the moment Operation Protective Edge has ended, when 40 women from all over the country, possessing a myriad and a variety of stories, got together and I feel it right up to this very exciting moment. We have created together an encompassing, popular and energetic movement, embracing 9,000 members who work diligently and relentlessly days and nights. We have created a new language, a language that bonds Jews and Arabs, religious and secular, the left, the right, the centre and the periphery, a language which links us to a shared responsibility through mutual listening and mutual respect.
Doors which have been locked in the past, have opened up, hearts are connecting and we receive overwhelming support from mayors and municipal leaders, journalists, men and women of letter and women and men of culture, from women all over the world, including the Arab world, and in particular from many thousands of civilians who are searching for hope which is missing from our lives.
After two years of intense activity in every corner of the country, we felt that it was time to rekindle this hope, the hope we have relinquished because of the news headlines, the hope that we have abandoned because of the pain, the hope that we have handed over to the leaders. Today we are taking it back – because there is no conflict which cannot be resolved. It is time that the people should have their say. It is time that women should lead the change – we give life and we must ensure that it goes on.
Let us be on our way, the way of Hope. We will not stop until we have a political agreement.
Translated by Sarit Bloom
