Over the last two weeks, many of our community’s youth have returned to school. And with this, there is a renewed sense of optimism, hope, and excitement for what the year ahead has in store. And this is not just for the students, but for their parents as well.

 

While I feel comfortable saying that, all of us have experienced hope before, but have we ever really stopped to think about it? I know that I haven’t.

 

Hope is a funny thing. It provides us an opportunity to dream and aspire to what is possible. It also can be a powerful motivator, especially for the “glass is half full” type of people. The challenge is that we open ourselves up to heartache when hope does not come to fruition. But, without hope, we tend to feel lost and experience a general sense of “blah.”

 

I remember being interviewed by a local reporter about ten years ago when there was a possible peace deal between Israel and the Palestinians. She was contacting me to get the pulse of how our local Jewish community felt about the possibility and if I thought it would happen. I vividly remember saying that I was hopeful and optimistic that this could happen, but I was also realistic.

 

I was thinking about this yesterday as word began to come out about remarks made by Secretary of State Anthony Blinken, following his meeting with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, that Israel had agreed to the latest bridge proposal for a ceasefire between Hamas and Israel. Sadly, this report came out shortly after earlier reporting that Hamas had already said no to the offer. And it is essential to remember, and make sure people know, that Hamas refused to send a delegation to the ceasefire negotiations. But, they did share that they were interested in supporting a ceasefire, but not one that they believed only “benefitted” Israel.

 

It is in these moments when I get frustrated as people continue calling for a ceasefire. Don’t people realize that in order for there to be a ceasefire, a cessation to all hostilities, the two parties need to have the desire to do so… not just in their words, but also their actions?

 

But I still have hope that something will happen soon. The main reason for this hope is that even with this latest announcement, negotiations continue, and representatives from both sides are committed to making it happen. The $64,000 question, though, is what will it take for Hamas to say yes? And sadly, no one really knows.

 

Only time will tell, but I hope it is sooner rather than later.