Learning Gratitude from Israel’s Survivors

Freedom, Faith, and the Unbreakable Spirit of Israel”

We are all human. We wake up every morning and take the simplest things for granted,  drinking a glass of water, washing our hands, brushing our teeth, taking a shower. We watch television, enjoy the sun, look at the sky. We eat when we’re hungry, embrace our families, talk to friends, and live freely. We rarely stop to think that for some people, even these basic acts of life,  light, air, touch, and dignity , can be stolen away.

Now that Israel’s hostages returned, their stories have shaken the country to its core. They have reminded us what it truly means to be human, to be grateful, to love, and to live without fear.

The testimonies of the freed hostages are heartbreaking. Some of them spent nearly two years in total darkness, hidden underground, starved, beaten, and humiliated. They were chained, denied clean water, and even forced to brush their teeth with filthy, maggot-infested brushes. Others were subjected to psychological torture , told that Israel had forgotten them, that no one was coming. Hamas tried to strip them of their faith, their dignity, and their hope. They failed.

Because even in captivity, something inside these men remained unbroken.

When they returned, Israel saw not only survivors, but living testaments to the power of faith and resilience. Two secular hostages, who had not prayed or worn tefillin for 15 years, chose to do so the moment they were free, a quiet, powerful gesture of gratitude to Hashem. Another survivor called for national unity, urging Israelis to put aside their divisions and remember what truly matters: Am Yisrael Chai, the people of Israel live.

Others sang, played music, and embraced one another in tears. After two years in darkness, they were suddenly bathed in light and their first instinct was not anger, but joy. Their return was a lesson for all of humanity: even after the worst evil, the human spirit can rise again.

One of the most moving images came from freed hostage Guy Gilboa Dalal, who ate a simple chocolate ball,  his first in two years. A small moment, but deeply symbolic. To taste sweetness again, to live without fear, to simply exist, that is freedom.

Another survivor, Rom Braslavski, felt a duty not just to rest, but to speak. He met with military officials almost immediately after his release and said:

“You haven’t finished the job, you have to bring them all home. I saw them before I was released, and they’re waiting to come home, just like I waited.”

His words cut through politics and headlines. They speak to something much deeper,  Israel’s moral responsibility. Every Israeli, living or fallen, must come home. Hamas must uphold its end of the deal and return the bodies of those who did not survive. Only then can there be peace. Only then can there be closure.

But amidst the pain, there are moments of extraordinary compassion that show what Israel truly is, a nation that cherishes life.

One night, in total secrecy, Israel quietly closed the Ayalon Mall for three hours,  from 10 PM to 1 AM,  so 18 recently freed hostages could shop in peace. These were people who had been starved, stripped of dignity, and denied privacy for months. Store owners were asked to keep their doors open, phones were collected, and the public was kindly ushered out. The mall management offered vouchers for essentials, clothing, shoes, basic needs,  from stores like Fox, H&M, and Foot Locker.

It wasn’t a photo opportunity. It wasn’t for politics. It was love, pure and simple. A nation pausing to say, you are home now, and we will take care of you.

Freedom doesn’t always come with flags or ceremonies. Sometimes it looks like a man trying on new shoes after walking barefoot in the dark. Sometimes it’s a chocolate ball, a smile, a deep breath of clean air.

And sometimes it’s friendship, the kind that even captivity couldn’t destroy.

When Omer Wenkert, Evyatar, and Guy were held in Gaza, they clung to their brotherhood. They couldn’t control their captors, but they could choose loyalty and love. One day, Evyatar told Omer about a guitar he dreamed of owning,  a symbol of freedom, music, and light. After returning home, Omer remembered that promise. With the help of the Israeli fan community of their favorite band, Avenged Sevenfold, and the music shop Wild Guitars, he made that dream come true, not just for Evyatar, but for Guy too.

That guitar was more than a gift. It was a vow fulfilled,  proof that love, friendship, and faith survive even the darkest places.

Israel has been through unimaginable pain. The world has seen only glimpses of the cruelty inflicted on its citizens. Yet, through all of it, one truth remains unshakable: the Jewish people do not break. They rebuild. They sing. They live.

These stories are not only about suffering, they are about the triumph of life over death, of faith over despair, of light over darkness.

So let the world watch and learn. Let every nation see what freedom looks like when it’s fought for, cherished, and protected.

Because in Israel, every life matters. Every soul counts.
And no one, living or dead, will ever be left behind.

Am Yisrael Chai.