January 14, 2024. Day 100.
Frank Sinatra Square, near Rothberg Amphitheater — the birthplace of Hebrew University in 1925. Families of hostages gathered. A few hundred others. Us.
We couldn't understand the Hebrew speeches. Didn't need to.
The climax: counting down from five. Releasing balloons into the sky.
A gesture. Nothing more. It won't bring them home. But ceremonies like this — at Hadassah Hospital, at the Tel Aviv Opera House every week — they soothe something. They have to.
The balloons rise. Drift away. Taking with them what they can.
