A Letter From My Daughter

To my dear brothers,

I'm writing from a feeling of deep pain. A pain that I hoped you'd never feel but know you already have.

I was told of a death. Someone close. Yuval. A run in with terrorists. Not even in Gaza but in Israel. In our territory. And suddenly I understand that we are fighting for our home. Not territory but our right to exist.

So many times we say "please let it be someone I don't know... Just not someone I know". But somebody does know him. And love him. And feels how I feel now. Until it all reaches me... Well, it was just a matter of time.

But my dear brothers, that's not what I wanted to say. Not to say that it finally hit home. But to remind us (and mostly myself) what and for who we are fighting for. I'm grasping for the right words and suddenly I remember a song. That we all know. A simple one. It rings in my ear and beats in my heart.

To be a free nation in our country
להיות עם חופשי בארצנו

We have not yet lost hope and faith
עוד לא אבדה תקוותנו

(from hatikva- our national anthem)

You are our hopes, dear brothers. Brothers by blood. Brothers in pain, in our souls and in our hopes. We are the whole. Every soldier and soldier. Every brother and sister. One family. One nation. One heart.

In two days I will be in Israel for eleven years. The tenth year I celebrated by enlisting. This year I celebrate with the pride of being your sister. Wearing my uniform. Living in this country. I think back and look at my friends in the states.

How twisted my reality looks compared to theirs. Maybe they have it better... but even with all the pain, I wouldn't give up my life and reality for even a second. My life. My house. My land. My brothers.

So dear brothers, fight. For yourselves. For our fallen. For our homes. For our existence.

I love you all.

Yours,

Ariella
A soldier
A commander
An Israeli.