For two months after the Hamas massacre on southern Israel, singer Aviv Geffen felt that he could not write or sing. Seeing the video of Mia Leimberg (17), one of the 249 Israelis taken into Hamas captivity, returning home with her dog Bella, shook Aviv and he started singing again.
Geffen explained: "As an artist you cannot stand by doing nothing. At some point the heavy feelings must surface."
"I admit that I refrained from writing for two months after that horrific day. Like everyone else I did what I could from where I was. I woke up like everyone else from those nightmares."
"The most painful feeling is knowing that it will not go away," he added. "It will take years, if at all, to recover from the shock that has not escaped anyone in Israel."
"The evening that Mia Leimberg came home, with Bella the dog in her arms, burned an image deep into me. Her naivety and the youthful spirit that had emerged from evil and cruel hands. When I found out that she was a musician from Jerusalem, I had to contact her. She really felt connected to the song. We met several times, and I was amazed by her."