Last night, ten families of hostages entered Joseph’s Tomb in Nablus for a prayer and lit the first Hanukkah candle. Among those participating were the families of Avinetan Or, Eliya Cohen, Bar Kopershtein, Uriel Baruch, Karina Arayev, Almog Sarusi (of blessed memory), Yosef Chaim Ohana, Sagui Dekel Chen, Romi Gonen and her partner Asaf, and Idan Alexander.
“The Privilege Is That We Don’t Have to Be Alone”
At the site, the families offered prayers for the release of the hostages and for the safety of IDF soldiers, alongside residents of Samaria and hundreds of others who visited the tomb of the righteous Joseph last night. Yossi Dagan, Head of the Samaria Regional Council, recited a prayer for the safety of the hostages and the soldiers, then said: “Everyone stands here, praying together with the families on behalf of all of Samaria, on behalf of all of Israel, for their swift return and safe release. We pray for our brothers and sisters in captivity to come out healthy and whole.”
Merav Leshem Gonen, the mother of Romi Leshem Gonen, who was kidnapped in Gaza, shared: “On the way here, while we were on the bus, there was a moment of darkness and silence. Suddenly, I felt incredibly alone, and I thought about how Romi must have felt during those moments when the car she was in fell into the terrorists’ ambush. Two of the four passengers were killed on the spot. Romi was injured, and so was Ofir. I thought about how alone she must have been in those moments, caught in the middle of bullets flying around her. I thought about how hard it is to be alone. And then I thought about how lucky we are, how privileged we are, that we don’t have to be alone. We can be together.”
“Everyone Dreams of the Moment They Can Hug Their Loved One Again”
Ditsa Or, the mother of hostage Avinetan Or, added: “I’m always running around, so I’m hungry, I didn’t have time to eat, and I’m cold here. And I think about Avinetan and all the hostages—how hungry they must be, how cold they must be. With us here are the families of Eliya Cohen, Bar Kopershtein, Uriel Baruch, Karina Arayev the lookout soldier, Almog Sarusi (may his memory be blessed), Tamir Adar, and Yosef Chaim Ohana. We’re all dreaming of the moment we can hug our loved ones again, give them our love, our security, and bring them home once more, just like we all wish for.”
Riki Baruch, the sister-in-law of Uriel Baruch (of blessed memory), who was kidnapped from the Nova Festival and murdered, said: “This week, on Sunday, we marked the second birthday of Ariel in captivity with the theme of ‘lighting one candle from another without diminishing the first,’ which ties directly to Hanukkah and Ariel’s character. Ariel was a person of giving, of kindness, of unconditional love. He made everyone around him feel like they were the most important person in the world and that he would do anything to make them happy. That’s what we’re carrying forward—his generosity, his unconditional love, his joy. God willing, through this light, we will merit a complete redemption soon in our days.”
Candlelighting for Chanukah and Prayers for the Return of the Hostages
