Darkest Before the Dawn  

On Simchas Torah 2023, as the illusion of control was shattered and Jews all over began to reconnect with their core identity, Hashem drew me into the saga as well, allowing me to stand alongside survivors and hostage families in their darkest hours.

Two years later, with the release of the remaining hostages, many of their stories have since had a happy ending, while others have had tragic closure. Either way, it’s my privilege to share the journeys of these families with you.

During one of the Kesher Yehudi shabbatons for hostage families, I was asked to lead a circle discussion on Friday night with siblings of the hostages, ranging in age from ten to 18. These kids were expected to continue going about their daily lives — wake up, go to school, do homework, go to sleep — even as they were struggling with intense feelings of fear, stress, and anxiety. Their parents were constantly on the move, attending one rally after another and traveling abroad to speak, so it was natural that these kids were not having an easy time.

I sat down in the circle with them. Almost immediately, the questions began flowing, but they weren’t so interested in talking about themselves — they preferred to talk about me. Why was I wearing a kapote? Was it true that chareidim have huge families? Why did I tuck my peyos under my yarmulke? Who was the biggest tzaddik in the world?

After about half an hour of their little interrogation, they finally ran out of questions.

Sitting in the middle of the circle was Ofir Angrest, brother of Matan Shachar ben Anat, who was finally released after two years this past Hoshana Rabbah. At the time, though, Hamas had released a video of an emaciated, tortured Matan in which it was clear that he was suffering greatly.