What does someone write in a letter they hope will never be read?
Emily Damari, who was freed this past November after surviving 471 days in Hamas captivity, spoke at the launch event of the book entitled If You’re Reading These Words – The Final Letters of the Fallen of the Swords of Iron War.
If You’re Reading These Words is a literary-documentary project that features 49 final letters written by soldiers who fell in the war that began on October 7. Most of the letters have never been published before.
“Take life easy”
Emily quoted from the words of the late Shlomo Aviad Nayman, who fell in battle in Lebanon after returning from Gaza. He wrote:
“Take life easy. Everything is small, everything passes—but everything is deeply meaningful. Pay attention to the little details most people miss. A friend who’s looking at you, searching for help but embarrassed to ask. A neighbor who sends a confusing WhatsApp message but actually needs support and encouragement.”
She went on to say that Nayman’s words reminded her of Gali and Ziv Berman, who are still being held hostage in Gaza.
“I had the privilege of being neighbors with dear friends, and together we built a relationship of care, concern, and help—one that is there for you when it’s hard to reach out. Unfortunately, that closeness led us to share the same fate. On the morning of that Black Saturday, Gali showed up when I called—and that’s how both of us, along with Ziv Berman, were abducted to Gaza.”
“Some words can preserve memory”
Emily said that even during her time in captivity, she believed she would return.
“I knew there were soldiers, men and women, risking their lives to bring us home. But it was only after I came back that I began to understand the terrible price so many had paid.”
To the bereaved families, she said:
“Today, as I look into your eyes, I see the immense pain of loss. All of us—and especially you, who lost those dearest to you—are bearing the heaviest cost of this war. No words can truly comfort, but some words can preserve memory.”
“I am here because of them—because of their courage, sacrifice, and determination,” she said, moving those present.
“And as I continue with my life, I carry every day the responsibility to live a life of meaning—for myself and for them.”
“Every letter holds a memory that must never be forgotten”
Speaking about the book, Emily said:
“It is a living testimony to their deep and extraordinary love—for this country, for their families, for life itself. It lets us hear their voices, feel their dreams, and touch their noble souls. Every letter holds a memory that must never be forgotten.”
At the end of her remarks, the former hostage said:
“Thank you for the privilege of reading this important book, and thank you for the heroes you raised. May Ziv and Gali Berman, and the other 57 hostages, return soon. The living need rebuilding, the dead deserve burial,” she concluded.
