No Matter How Loud Hostage Parents Scream, BRING THEM HOME! The World is Deaf

Penny S. Tee and Alon Nimrodi, father of Tamir Nimrodi, a hostage still not home!

By many accounts 2024 was a rough year, good riddance! As Jews, it was a bad year and one we don’t want to repeat. My mother Z”L would have said in Yiddish, Gey kakn oyfn yam which excuse me, literally means go take a crap on the sea, but for us non-Yiddish speakers, let’s just say WE DON’T WANT ANY MORE OF THIS!

In my next Times of Israel Blog, I’ll talk about that, but I wanted to start 2025 writing about one of the most egregious catastrophes that started on October 7, 2023—the kidnapping, murder and torture of the hostages. This blog is for them. I will never forget that the hostages are still not home, and I hope you won’t either.

BRING THE HOSTAGES HOME!!

3000 Hamas terrorists invaded the communities in southern Israel in the worst attack against the Jewish State since 1948. On October 7, 2023, more than 1,200 men, women and children, including 46 Americans and citizens of more than 30 countries, were butchered by Hamas. The putrid taste of the Holocaust revisited.

256 people were taken as hostages to the Gaza Strip. As of December 4, 2024, 117 hostages had been returned alive to Israel. How many hostages remain alive? No one really knows for sure. Hamas doesn’t share that information.

The New York Post reported that there are 97 hostages still being held by Hamas fifteen months later, sixty-four hostages are still believed to be alive; 33 are confirmed to be dead — and their remains held by the terrorists. Hamas, the terrorist organization, the elected government of Gaza, hasn’t returned the deceased so that they can be buried at home, and finally rest in Peace, let alone the hostages that are still alive. It’s another cruel move in their heartless arsenal to inflict as much pain as possible.

It’s a gloomy way to begin a new year, but for these pour souls and their parents, how could I not tell their story? They’ve been doing everything they can think of to raise awareness, but the world seems deaf.

On the fifth night of Hanukkah, I was invited to a talk sponsored by the Israeli American Council (IAC), given by Alon Nimrodi, father of a hostage still held in Gaza, Corporal Tamir Nimrodi, May He Be Released Soon, Amen.

We were there to listen with welcoming, saddened hearts, to Alon. As a parent, when my son got a boo-boo on his finger while playing, my heart would twinge, as I rushed to wash and bandage it, and give him a hug and kiss.

What do you say to a father whose son is a hostage?

Celebrating Hanukkah? Well, at least the children had a good time.

The juxtaposition of the warmth of the event held in a private home, the lighting of the numerous hanukkiot by children attending, the sweet sound of Hanukkah songs, traditional foods like latkes (potato pancakes) and sufganiyot (jelly-filled donuts), and kids playing outside with full tummies, belied what was yet to come.

You can see Alon off to the right standing silently as the children lit their hanukkiah, solemn and steadfast and I can’t help but wonder how he held it together? Where is his baby? He doesn’t even know if he is alive. He is the man with the t-shirt on and I’ll show you more about the t-shirt later.

Tamir is Alon’s eldest child. Tamir’s childhood was difficult. He didn’t have any friends. He didn’t want to study. He had many problems. Nobody accepted him. When he entered 7th grade at a new school, he was very behind in his studies. He didn’t know the multiplication tables at the age of thirteen.

At 16, he began studying 6th and 7th grade math and Alon proudly shared that he ultimately “graduated with excellency [sic].”

Alon also disclosed that as a child Tamir was very afraid and so he took medication to help calm himself. Tamir never went on a bus or train to Jerusalem because he was scared to go due to the potential for terrorist attacks. I don’t blame him. With these kinds of feelings, I couldn’t imagine what it would be like not only to be in the army, but now living as a hostage.

In Israel, both men and women must go into the IDF after graduating high school. They are evaluated and given medical profiles to determine what job in the IDF would be appropriate. Tamir couldn’t be a combat soldier because he had a low profile (with medical issues you can’t be in combat).

The army assigned him to the Erez border to help the Gazan people working with COGAT, The Coordinator of Government Activities in the Territories. COGAT is a unit in the Israeli Ministry of Defense tasked with overseeing civilian policy in the West Bank, as well as facilitating logistical coordination between Israel and the Gaza Strip.

Tamir Nimrodi

Tamir was proud to help provide humanitarian aid as the only unit in Israel to help the Gazan people. Alon said Tamir liked it very much and during the holidays, a few days before being kidnapped he called his schoolteacher to say, “It’s the best days ever!” I thought to myself how different this is than what we hear on the news—how Israel was starving the Gazans, leaving them thirsty, and preventing aid from distribution.

When Tamir was kidnapped, he had just helped an IDF friend who needed the day off and Tamir filled in for him. That morning as he was sleeping at the base, the Hamas terrorists entered their rooms and took Tamir with two other soldiers, barefoot and in their pajamas, to who knows where, over a year ago. Tamir turned 24 in captivity. He’s the same age as my son. There but for the grace of God go I.

Tamir Nimrodi

How did the Nimrodi family know Tamir was kidnapped?

Tamir texted his mother at 6:45 am initially asking if she and his sisters were alright? Ever since his parents had gotten divorced, his mother had said that Tamir looked out for them as the responsible male in their family. He had been sleeping and heard the rockets. By 7:12 he had been kidnapped.

Later that day, his sister, who was fourteen at the time, came screaming and crying into the room where her mother was, and said that she saw her beloved brother on her phone on Instagram, being kidnapped and proudly video’ d by the terrorists walking him barefoot, in his pajamas, without his glasses.

Her mother in interviews I’ve seen said, “She gave me her phone and I watched the video. At first, I didn’t recognize him because he was so terrified. Tamir was hiding his face so they won’t [sic] hit him, they were bullying him and screaming at him. There were three of them. He was with his pajamas. He was barefoot with no glasses on. He can hardly see anything without his [sic] glasses. I think that the terrifying look on his eyes are with me every night when I go to sleep. To see that as a mother with no way I can reach him or help him. The last footage we saw was of him being dragged over his friend’s dead body through the brick walls into the Gaza Strip.” The horror of her feelings was palpable.

It warmed my heart to hear that in the army, Tamir had made many friends.

As Alon spoke, the pictures of Tamir flashed on the living room tv screen above his head. Tamir’s life with family members, with his 84-year-old grandfather,

Tamir Nimrodi with his grandfather.

and Alon.

Tamir Nimrodi and his father Alon Nimrodi

Alon disclosed that ever since Tamir had been kidnapped, he only gets two-three hours of sleep a night. He said, “I can’t sleep. I have lots of thoughts trying to think [sic] what else can I do. If I need to get into Gaza to bring Tamir back, I will do that. But unfortunately, I can’t. To be honest I asked the army.” He felt that If he could search for Tamir in the small territory where Tamir was being held at one time in Gaza, that it was his obligation to check. In a forlorn voice he explained, “Nobody checked yet 15 months later, nobody checked yet.”

T-shirts to raise donations for Tamir Nimrodi’s family as they search for help to bring him back home

After Alon’s talk, you could buy a t-shirt like Alon was wearing for $20, a sweatshirt for $40, or a donation of more. Alon hasn’t worked at his job for over a year as he pleads worldwide to bring his son and the other hostages home whether speaking with the Pope, in Germany, the U.S., you name it, he’s been there, and yet, he hasn’t heard any official word about his son. They need financial help to live, and love to survive.

Lior Angel, a kind man, who was also at the talk who is currently a medical student and also helped found a nonprofit called Beloved Brain which focuses on mental health, offered to send any donations marked for Alon Nimrodi directly to him without any fees. Here is the link if you are interested in helping Alon and his family financially while he continues his fight to bring Tamir home

https://linktr.ee/belovedbrainmentalhealth Don’t forget to indicate that the donation is in honor of Tamir Nimrodi.

A month after the kidnapping Tamir’s family received a package from the Israeli army. It was Tamir’s uniform and valuables. It seemed so cold. These aren’t just clothes. As I write this with tears in my eyes I can imagine as a parent that I couldn’t help but wrap myself in his shirt and pull its sleeves around me knowing that his arms had once been wearing it, and if he had been here, he would hug me and hold me in his arms.

Within a pocket they found a short note Tamir had written as an affirmation. Alon said, it signified his values:

• Succeed and help many people
• Create a large group of friends
• Don’t harm anyone

You will find these three life values in Hebrew on the back of the t-shirts for sale and donations:

Tamir Nimrodi Values of life

There were tears running down people’s faces as Alon described the hell they have been living. Alon said, “Tamir wanted to help everyone. He loved everyone and wanted everyone to love him.”

After Alon’s talk, I spoke with him and of course, bought a t-shirt and gave a donation. I was at a loss for words, so I asked him if it was alright to give him a hug? He agreed. I hoped he could feel the love for his family through my arms. Oy, such tsuris (Yiddish for problems).

As if Tamir and his family’s story weren’t horrific enough, in a new tragic report by the Israeli Health Ministry, released to the United Nations, hostages held in Gaza were subjected to torture, including sexual and psychological abuse, starvation, burns and medical neglect.

The report is based on interviews with the medical and welfare teams which treated more than 100 Israeli and foreign hostages, most of whom were released in late November 2023. Eight hostages were rescued by the Israeli military.

According to their interviews, the hostages include more than 30 children and teenagers, a few of whom were found to have been bound, beaten or branded with a heated object.

Women reported sexual assault by the captors, including at gunpoint. Men were beaten, starved, branded, held bound in isolation and denied access to a bathroom, the report said. Some were denied treatment for injuries and medical conditions.

I was curious and looked up the meaning of Tamir in Hebrew. It has multiple meanings. I couldn’t help but think he lived up to his name. It means “tall” or “erect,” symbolizing someone who is upright and honorable.

It can also mean “rich” or “abundant,” representing prosperity and wealth. I have no idea about Tamir’s finances, but he is rich in kindness and wanting to make a difference.

Additionally, “Tamir” can be interpreted as “one who changes” or “one who alters,” suggesting adaptability and the ability to bring about positive transformations. I thought Tamir’s early childhood exemplified his ability to change and overcome obstacles. Who knows? Maybe Tamir’s story will break open the log jam and the world will insist on Peace! Overall, the name “Tamir” carries connotations of integrity, success, and the power to make a difference.

Finally, an Arabic interpretation of the name Tamir is: Owns Palm Trees. When I read this I thought to myself that I hope Tamir learns to bend like a palm tree, be flexible, strong, and doesn’t break. We’re looking forward to hearing about Tamir as a free man.

May You Live in Peace, שלום and سلام