The names of Shiri, Ariel, and Kfir Bibas, may their memory be a blessing, are etched in the national and global consciousness as victims of the massacre carried out by Hamas terrorists on October 7.
The mother, Shiri, and her three children were brutally murdered after being kidnapped to Gaza, while the father, Yarden, who was held captive for many months, was released three weeks ago as part of the fourth phase of the hostage deal.
The history of the Bibas family is intertwined with the history of the people of Israel
The tragedy that befell the family is not an isolated incident. As Rabbi Shmuel Eliyahu, the Rabbi of Safed, recounts: “The history of the Bibas family is intertwined with the history of the people of Israel. It represents the Zionist vision, the courage to rebuild the nation in its land – and also the heavy price its descendants have paid throughout the generations.”
The wise man who preceded Herzl
The Bibas family is descended from Rabbi Yehuda Bibas, one of the earliest heralds of Zionism. Decades before Herzl, already in the 19th century, he spoke about the establishment of a Jewish state in the Land of Israel, not as unprotected refugees – but as an independent and strong nation.
Rabbi Bibas, a descendant of Rabbi Chaim Ben Attar, author of the book ‘Ohr Haim’, advocated for immigration to the Land of Israel and settlement there. In 1840, long before the Zionist idea became a reality, he called on Jews to build a military force, develop an independent economy, and learn professions that would enable a healthy existence in the future state.
His views were revolutionary and unfathomable at the time, but in retrospect, they turned out to be an accurate vision of the path that led to the establishment of the State of Israel.
His words shook my heart
Rabbi Bibas’s influence did not remain within the boundaries of his community. Among those influenced by him was Rabbi Yehuda Alkalai, who described how the meeting with him “shook my heart and my knees weakened.”
Rabbi Alkalai dedicated his life to spreading Bibas’s teachings, wrote books on the importance of immigration and the Jewish state – and his influence even reached the family of Benjamin Ze’ev Herzl, the father of political Zionism.
A window of opportunity of only 100 years
Beyond the Zionist vision, Rabbi Bibas also eerily predicted the future. He said that Jews had only 100 years – from 1840 until 1939 – to establish a Jewish state. If they did not take advantage of this time, he warned, “after it comes the year 5700 (1940), may it not be!” In 1940, the horrific Holocaust began, in which six million Jews were exterminated – just before the establishment of the State of Israel.
The family that paid a heavy price – twice in history
The Bibas family did not only talk about Zionism, they sacrificed for the ideal. In the year 5689 (1929), during the Hebron riots, the large library in Rabbi Bibas’s home was burned down, along with family members and dozens of Jews who were murdered in the city.
Nearly 100 years later, the murderous terror struck his descendants again, this time at the hands of Hamas terrorists.
The books were burned, but the vision lives within us
Rabbi Yehuda Bibas’s vision became a reality. The state he called for indeed arose, and it is strong, independent, and economically stable – just as he had predicted. However, the path to that state was paved with blood. As he warned, without military strength and steadfastness – our enemies did not hesitate to strike again and again.
Rabbi Eliyahu concludes the heart-wrenching story of the Bibas family’s grandfather by saying that today we all see how fitting the description is: “A wise man is preferable to a prophet.” Shiri, Ariel, and Kfir Bibas did not get to see their grandfather’s vision fully realized, but the spirit of Rabbi Bibas continues to resonate through the State of Israel and the people of Israel, who continue to fight for their right to life and security.
