Every Morning I Wake Up and Pray For the Hostages

Every morning when I wake up, I see their faces. I think about the hell they are experiencing, and I worry about their survival. I don’t know any of these people personally. They are people who were stolen from their lives on October 7th by vicious terrorists. Each person means the world to their families and friends. To me, as part of the Jewish family, they are my extended family, they are an extension of myself.

When I think of these people, I think of the connections we all share. During Chanukah 2023, I attended Governor Murphy’s annual Chanukah party as a representative of Hadassah from New Jersey. There I met Edan Alexander’s family. Edan was a lone soldier, who joined the IDF after graduating from high school in Tenafly, NJ. The pain in their eyes, the emptiness in their souls were palpable. The Governor promised his support of the family and had their younger son light the Chanukiah. Before I left, I reached out to the family to share my concern and support for Edan.

I couldn’t imagine that on Chanukah 2024, I would again meet the parents of Edan at the Governor’s Chanukah party. Again, I shared my sorrow and support for them. It broke my heart. But it breaks their hearts immeasurably more.

In January of 2024, I travelled to Israel and visited Ofakim, one of the partnership communities of my Jewish Federation. Ofakim was murderously targeted by the terrorists and lost 53 people in one neighborhood on October 7th. Their pain was my pain. I knew one of the fallen heroic police officers, Igal Ilouz personally.

I was there on the 100th day of the war. My first stop was at the Zangauker home where they were holding a yellow balloon launch for Matan Zangauker, a young man kidnapped from Kibbutz Nir Oz, but who had grown up in Ofakim. Again, the pain was personal – distant, yet close. As a child of Ofakim, I see Matan as one of my own children. I feel his captivity in my heart, but I can’t begin to imagine what his mother Einav endures each and every day.

Earlier this month, I was in Israel visiting Arad, another partnership of my Jewish Federation. In Arad, the pain surrounds the kidnapping of Segev Kalfon. A young man stolen from the Nova Festival, whose family has a bakery in Arad. I had lunch in that bakery and sat with his father, met his brother, and heard his story. They received a sign of life from the released hostages in February. It was the first sign of life they had received since October 7th. They travel the world to tell his story. They believe that with enough pressure, he will come home. I hugged his father and let him know that here in the US, we are working tirelessly trying to get all of the hostages home. Now I have another “son” to think of, another “son” to pray for. These partnerships are my family, and their children are connected to us.

Recently, we all saw the propaganda torture video of Evyatar David, and Guy Gilboa-Dalal. I learned from my niece, that she was close to Evyatar from her Birthright trip in the summer of 2023. He was one of the Israelis who joined her group, and they became good friends. Thinking about one of my niece’s friends trapped in hell gives me heart palpitations. It makes this horror even closer. My niece is practically my daughter. My family is very tightknit, and she knows Evyatar like a brother. I think of him and his friend Guy every single day and pray they continue to be together and alive
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Each of the hostages has a story, a connection, a life that must not be forgotten.

I think of the twins, Ziv and Gali Berman, because I am a twin, so I connect to their story. There is Nimrod Cohen, who is also a twin but was taken without his sister while he was serving in the IDF. I can’t imagine what they’re going through, but as a twin, I know of the unbreakable bond they share, so it must be unbelievably hard.

I think of the Cunio brothers, Ariel and David. I had a poster of Sharon Aloni Cunio, David’s wife, from the Washington rally hanging in my window until she was released with their twin daughters. I felt connected to her and thus to him. I pray for their safe return. Sharon must feel unimaginable pain knowing what she experienced and imagining all the torture that has been continuing for her beloved husband. Fortunately, she had a sign of life from one of the hostages who returned of her husband. It was the first sign she had since October 7th.

Every hostage’s life is of immense value and must be treasured. Every single one deserves to survive. We cannot sit idly by, while they waste away in the terror dungeons of Hamas.

We must say their names and demand their release.

Matan Angrest, Elkan Bohbot, Rom Braslavski, Maxim Herkin, Eitan Horn, Bipin Joshi, Bar Kupershtein, Omri Miran, Eitan Mor, Tamir Nimrodi, osefHaim Ohana, Alon Ohel, Avinatan Or, Na Hapong Pinta.

The lives matter. Their freedom matters.

The vicious terrorists must let them go. We will not stop reminding the world – Jewish lives matter – We must bring them home!