Agam Is Home

The parents of the hostages have almost uniformly put their lives on hold over the last 480-plus days in order to devote themselves fully to securing the release of their children. What makes the Bergers unique is that their efforts have been concentrated almost entirely in the spiritual realm. While many other parents of hostages have taken on new mitzvah observance as part of their efforts, for the Bergers, ruchniyus activities have been the near exclusive focus of their efforts.

Merav, Agam’s mother, grew up in a religious home, and she had begun to return to Shabbos observance after the passing of her mother, even before the terrible events of Simchas Torah. But after Simchas Torah, the entire family, beginning with Agam’s father, and then her twin sister and two younger siblings, began moving toward ever greater observance, including setting up a shul in the downstairs of their apartment building.

AFTER Agam was captured and taken to Gaza, Merav did not leave her house for weeks on end. The only thing that gave her any solace was reciting Tehillim. But when Shelley Shem-Tov, a leader of the Hostage Parents Forum, and Mrs. Tzili Schneider, the founder of Kesher Yehudi, announced the first shabbaton for families of the hostages, the Bergers were there, and they have participated in every Kesher Yehudi event for hostage families since then — multiple shabbatons, a Purim seudah, and prayer gatherings at the Kosel and Kever Rochel.

At the first shabbaton, Shelley Shem-Tov described how she and her husband had learned from freed hostages who were held in captivity with their son Omer that he had spontaneously begun making Kiddush and keeping Shabbos — not even using the flashlight issued to him in the dark underground caves in which he was held. And all quite independent of the Shem-Tovs’ growing involvement with Kesher Yehudi.