NEVER FORGET: A Little Girl Gets on a Bus

Amid ongoing wild claims about a “Greater Israel,” Rabbi Areyah Kaltmann, the executive director of Chabad in Columbus, Ohio, nearly a year ago beautifully enunciated what Israel is fighting for, and what victory would look like. The full text can be found here: “The Ultimate Victory: A Six-Year-Old Oct. 7 Victim’s Answer to Terror,” by Areyah Kaltmann, Algemeiner, September 5, 2025:

When we hear the word victory, certain images come to mind. The FIFA World Cup Trophy lifted high in front of billions of viewers. An Olympic gold medal hung around the champion’s neck. The Wimbledon Trophy raised triumphantly on Centre Court as spectators leap to their feet. We imagine champions like Messi, Michael Jordan, Federer, and Phelps — figures so legendary that they need no introduction.

But this week, I was struck by a very different image of victory. One that puts all the other medals, trophies, and records to shame.

It was a photograph of a six-year-old girl getting on the bus for her first day of school.

Her name is Abigail Edan. A dual Israel-American citizen, Abigail’s home was invaded by Hamas terrorists on October 7, 2023 — and they murdered her parents in front of her eyes.

She survived by hiding under her mother’s body, only to be taken into Gaza and held hostage for 50 days. Freed that November, Abigail was later adopted by two October 7 survivors, Zoli and Leron Mor.

Nearly two years later, she is stepping onto a yellow school bus with her ponytail bouncing, backpack slung over her shoulders. No fanfare. No roaring crowd. Just a quiet everyday moment captured on camera….

Abigail’s story represents this triumph of spirit. On October 7, Israel’s enemies sought to destroy the Jewish people. Yet here is a child who persevered: alive, smiling, carrying a lunchbox, living her life to the fullest. Not just for herself, but indeed for her murdered parents. For this little girl, each act of normalcy is a greater accomplishment than any world record.

Ultimately, true victory isn’t an athlete hoisting up a trophy or winning a championship. It’s in the tiny moments when a 6-year old gets on the bus, ready to start a new school year. It lies in continuing to strive when all hope seems lost, in maintaining dignity when the world tries to strip it away, in the quiet refusal to be broken and beaten….

Amen, Rabbi Kaltmann, amen.

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