The Fogel Family March 11 2011 murdered by terrorists

I wrote this on March 11, 2011 This was the day of the murder of the Fogel family in Israel. This was how I expressed myself that day for the New Standard Columbus, Ohio. 

From generations ago, we have dreamt of a day when our wanderings would end. From Country to Country, the horrors mounted. Our Shtetls were overrun, and our people butchered. We were barred from specific ways to make a living, forcing us into being tradesmen and money lenders. Then we were killed for being money lenders and great tradesmen. Wherever we went, we built, produced, and improved the societies around us, yet we dreamed.

We dreamed of a day when our families could live peacefully and just be.

We dreamed of a day when we could just celebrate who we are.

We dreamed of a day when the world accepted us, but we still roam.

We wandered the desert for 40 years to rid ourselves of the slavery of the mind so that we would accept our place in the Promised Land.

We endured the murder of over one-third of us in the holocaust, yet we still dreamed.

We fought and died for the land of our ancestors. We yearned for a place of our own, Israel, yet when we got there, we still dreamed.

Israel is our little Garden of Eden, our Walden’s pond, a place we have dreamt about for over 2000 years.

Israel is a place that we held in our hearts when the world for us was dark.

Israel is a land that is us, our history, our family, our grain of sand in the world yet we still dream.

A little bit of us all in the world died, turned dark this week when most of a family of 7 was slaughtered in their sleep on the most peaceful day of the week, the Sabbath. One more chink in the armor of what is left of dignity in this world was torn away this week, yet we still dream.

We dream of a day when our children and then all children can go to sleep and dream peaceful dreams.

We dream of a day when our children can go to sleep and have dreams of imaginary monsters, not real ones.

We dream of a day when all families can sleep and dream sweet dreams of living together in absolute peace.

We should never forget this brave family whose only crime was to be Jewish living in their ancestral land. This brave family who tried to bring light to a dark world ultimately perished for their beliefs. When the innocent die, we all die a little bit with them.

Am Yisrael Chai

Israel Lives 

Larry m Levine 

Blacklick Ohio