But for Kfir and Ariel Bibas, the wait continues. As the world watches and hopes, the Bibas family remains a symbol of resilience, hope, and the ongoing struggle for their safe return home.
So on Orange Day, people will wear orange in solidarity with the Bibas family, a small gesture to show that they are not forgotten, that their story is still being told, and that the world is still hoping for their safe return.
As the days go by and the uncertainty lingers, the support for the Bibas family only grows stronger. From graffiti on the streets of Tel Aviv to rallies in New York City, the world is standing with the Bibases, refusing to give up on them.
And as Itamar Lippner said, despite the signs pointing to bad news, we continue to pray that those signs are wrong. That somehow, against all odds, the Bibas family will come home safely.
Until that day comes, we wear orange, we share their story, and we hold onto hope.
We need to hold onto hope, but also be prepared for any outcome.”
Regenerate You’re not their family.”
He added, “I’m thoroughly concerned about what happens when they do come out and how they come out. If it doesn’t end with what we all hope for, I don’t know how people’s mental health is going to be, and this is wide-scale. I’m talking about individuals everywhere. This isn’t just an Israeli issue — this is a strong international issue.”
Daniels’ partner, Danielle Katz, is a psychiatrist in private practice in the United States. She said she frequently encounters women who are deeply invested in the Bibas family’s story. The women, she noted, are typically middle-aged, affluent, and white.
“These are the most involved, the most consumed, and the most concerned by it all,” Katz said. “Add on top of that that these are also Jewish mothers, you have the perfect recipe for people who are completely distraught.”
While attention to the Bibases comes from a deep sense of caring, she said, she has also heard darker and more complicated themes.
“I hear from clients all the time: It’s almost a survivor’s guilt of being over here. … People feel like being involved and being angry and being emotionally invested is their only contribution,” she said, noting that the investment can come at a cost.
“There are a lot of women who have told me that their children have felt somewhat neglected by the obsession of it all, asking, ‘Do you love me as much as you love Israel?’ ‘Do you love me as much as you love the Bibases?’” Katz said.
Natalie Solomon, who works at a Jewish school in Dallas, said she recognized that outsized attention is paid to the Bibas family — but said it’s because the Jewish people have become wrapped up in their fate.
“We’re all just waiting. Holding our breath. Desperate for any piece of news,” she said. “If me, a mom in Texas, can’t stop thinking about a mother and her babies in the depth of hell, how does the family feel? The torture is not just of Shiri, Yarden, Ariel, and Kfir, although of course we can’t possibly imagine what they are going through.”
She continued, “The torture to all of Am Yisrael waiting for these little red-headed boys to be back home — I don’t want to hear speculation, I only want to hear the official statement.”
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Regenerate means to restore or renew something to its original state or to bring it back to life. This can refer to physical regeneration, such as the regrowth of lost limbs in certain animals, or to the revitalization of a person’s energy or spirit. It can also refer to the process of restoring something that has been damaged or worn out.
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