Hallel-Yaffa Ariel
Hallel-Yaffa ArielCourtesy of the family

The 2nd graders of a Kiryat Arba school published an open letter to the government, in the form of a poem. The rhyme may be lost in translation, but the sentiment is not.

Among the students are relatives of several victims of terror attacks, including the sister of Hallel-Yaffa Ariel, murdered by a terrorist last week, and a cousin of Eyal Yifrah, one of the three boys kidnapped and murdered in the summer of 2014.

In the poem, the children tell of their far too close acquaintance with loss and bereavement, and wonder why the government doesn't do more to prevent such acts of terror.

Here is the letter, translated from the original Hebrew: 

Hello to the Ministers, the MKs, and all who are reading this. 

We are the 2nd grade in Kiryat Arba.

Michal is sitting on the right, in a purple shirt.

Her father was killed last winter, near the patriarch's tomb.

In the back sits Raya, her grandfather is a Rabbi,

He was shot and seriously wounded, also last winter

Eyal's cousin sits in the back

It's now been two years since he was kidnapped

Here in the front sits Shira,

yesterday her sister was stabbed,

the terrorist murdered her as she was waking

So what have we learned this year, dear government and MKs?

We've learned how to live without Dad, and that siblings are really important.

How to duck stones, how dangerous is stabbing

and also how to behave when comforting a bereaved friend.

We'd like to invite you here for a short trip

to visit the tomb of our patriarchs,

and remember they left us something precious.

A land, given by God special for us

that we didn't steal or take from anyone!

A land that is ours by right, not by force,

this we ask you to remember and not forget.

You could also drop by and see the museum of 1929, 87 years ago

to see that they murdered us with axes back then

even before there was any talk of "occupation",

because we had no sovereignty. 

You should know that we learned that there's a government in Jerusalem!

But we see it doesn't do enough, thought it can.

The Prime Minister was even in an elite unit

but seems to have forgotten what needs to be done

So maybe you should remember what needs to be done to wicked men (who call themselves a nation),

who hand out sweets when our blood is spilled.

Evil people who want to cast us into the sea

(here's just a suggestion, maybe you can expel the whole village to Gaza or Beirut

you'll see how that teaches them a lesson!)

Our teacher taught us that the power of the will is unlimited

That if we want to do something, the sky's the limit!

So we ask: Do you really want it, there in the government?

We await your answer.

Signed,

A bereaved 2nd grade class.