Beginning next week on Rosh HaShanah and continuing throughout the Aseret Yemei Teshuvah, we’ll stand in prayer before Hashem, with our health, happiness, livelihood and that of our families on our minds.
Meanwhile, 101 of our brothers and sisters remain in captivity as hostages of Hamas in Gaza. It’s important to fully understand what we can do on their behalf.
This week, the Orthodox Union had the honor to host and to draw inspiration from family members of some of the hostages. The families came to the United States, and to the United Nations in particular, to advocate for the release of their loved ones and to ensure that the urgency of securing their release does not waver.
Yamit and Oded Ashkenazi, sister and brother-in-law of Doron Steinbrecher, talked about their unlikely survival in a safe room in kibbutz Kfar Azza on October 7th.
When the Hamas attack on Kfar Azza began, the Steinbrechers entered their safe room, where they remained for 21 hours with their children, hearing gunshots outside, hearing Hamas terrorists try to enter their home, and eventually hearing an IDF soldier outside their home, who escorted them, under gunfire, to safety.
While the Steinbrechers remained under lockdown on October 7th, their sister Doron was taken hostage by Hamas. That is the last time her family heard from her. She was last seen in a Hamas propaganda video in January and at this moment her family does not know whether she is still alive.
But, as they pointed out, they speak out, because Doron’s voice cannot be heard in a Hamas tunnel. They speak for the hostages, to shout for them, until the mission to free them is complete.
Leat Corinne Unger, cousin of hostage Omer Shemtov, shared Omer’s story. Omer was kidnapped from the Nova festival on October 7th.
She noted first how hard it is to hear that people who had their own trauma on October 7th haven’t yet had the chance to process what they themselves experienced as they are too preoccupied fighting for their family members to come home.
Omer, despite not growing up in a religious atmosphere, insisted on reciting kiddush every Friday night in his family’s home.
Incredibly, Omer has found a way to continue his practice from the depths of a Hamas tunnel.
As relayed by a hostage held with Omer and since released, Omer and his fellow hostages were given a small bottle of grape juice during the week. Omer withheld from drinking his portion that day and kept it hidden until Friday night.
The hostages kept track of time by hearing the daily Muslim calls to prayer and so each Friday night, Omer takes a piece of toilet paper, puts it on his head and recites kiddush.
In captivity Omer also decided to start observing Shabbat. How does one do this while in Hamas captivity? He remains in pitch blackness throughout Shabbat, refusing to use the flashlight he was given.
Leat described the many people who have come up to her to say how they were inspired by Omer to start keeping Shabbat. People who have never kept Shabbat now do so in his honor.
Leat looks forward to sharing with Omer what so many people around the world have been doing to keep his story in the forefront of our consciousness. How we daven on his behalf and how much the Jewish nation continues to stand by all the families’ sides until every hostage is returned home.
What else can we do?
We can continue sharing the stories of Doron, Omer and the remaining 101 hostages in Gaza. Our family, friends, co-workers and others should speak their names.
We can call and email our local and national public officials and hold them accountable to ask them what they are doing today to get the hostages released. If we’re not advocating in great numbers for the hostages, why would anyone else?
And throughout this yom tov season, we must devote some of our precious tefillot to the zechut of the hostages.
We all have much to ask HaKadosh Baruch Hu for in the coming year, and the release of our acheinu bnei Yisrael must be a big part of that.