5th Israel Report: Hostages
Israel Report #5: Hostages
We began the day visiting hostage square, in front of the Tel Aviv modern art museum and across from the Israeli equivalent of the Pentagon. It is moving and powerful and incredibly sad and distressingly. I’ve attached photos that capture some of the feeling of it. It’s a complex of installations created by citizens to insist on remembering and seeking to free the hostages. It was hard to see it all and not become overwhelmed by the emotion of these people, many of them young, stolen from their lives of potential and accomplishment, of family and community and creativity and music, and imprisoned brutally in torturous captivity.
Perhaps the most stunning thing I’ve become aware of is the fact that so many American Reform rabbis, mostly left wing and with the reputation of being peaceniks, raising substantial funds to purchase military supplies for the IDF units fighting now in Gaza. One colleague brought $100,000 to purchase helmets and goggles and armored vests for under-equipped units; another $25,000 from one donor. I know that most of the group has done similar things. That’s quite a sea change, in my view, brought about by October 7th.
The most powerful experience this morning was when we met with Lee Siegel, whose brother Keith Siegel is still held hostage in Gaza. Keith is an American citizen, held captive in Gaza for 115 days now.
Lee himself made Aliyah to Israel in 1976 to kibbutz Gezer. Kosher kitchen do all Jews could eat there…. He is from North Carolina, went to UNC, lived Northern California, then moved to Kibbutz Gezer.
The morning of October 7, his kids and grandchildren banged on the door to use their safe room, Mamad. There were Sirens and lots of rockets at kibbutz Gezer, which is not all that close to Gaza. They went to their mamad, their safe room. He contacted using WhatsApp his brother and family, texting “I really hope you are in the north” as they live in Kfar Aza. After a couple of hours the responding messages stopped. Usually that means dead phone batteries or the system becoming overloaded. But not this time.
It took an agonizing 6 to 8 hours for the Israeli army to get to Kfar Aza. There were battles for 5 days. His brother and sister in law live 2 miles from Gaza. When the army finally reached Kfar Aza they found that Keith and his wife were not in their home. The army located his cellphone electronically in Gaza and the Israeli Army believed both of them were hostages. While often this is not accurate since anyone could have taken his phone, it was true. There was footage of Keith’s car being driven with them and another family driven into Gaza by Hamas terrorists. Keith’s son, in his 40s, Shai survived in his safe room. His story was that he heard gunshots, people speaking Arabic and then finally, hours later, Hebrew. He had to decide if it was the IDF. It was and he survived. The army used his house as a command post for another 12 hours of fighting. He’s now starting with a daughter in Afula.
The Friday after October 7 the families of the hostages met here in Tel Aviv. It has become a family within a family, people meeting people they would never have met. 5 people from kibbutz gezer were murdered at the Nova music festival by Hamas.
After 50 days, when the 100 hostages were released they kept hoping that Aviva would be released. That didn’t happen for two days. Then finally the Red Cross accepted the hostages and she was freed but Keith was not released. She didn’t want to leave without her husband. Aviva had been held hostage for 50 days, with very little food, wearing the same clothes she was kidnapped wearing early that terrible Saturday morning. The Terrorists had been telling the hostages that “there is no more Israel, nothing to go back to.” Finally, shockingly they were released. Aviva lost more than 25 pounds. After days without her meds, even weeks, she finally received some thyroid medication. After treatment at Wolfson hospital in Israel she is doing ok. Aviva has now been to DC, and has become iconic with the obit of her at the White House hugging President Biden. Among the hostage families—indeed, everywhere in Israel—there is great appreciation for the Biden Administration and its unwavering support for Israel and its dedicated work to bring the hostages home.
Keith has now been a hostage for 115 days. There is a great and powerful urgency to get the living hostages home and the bodies of the dead back.
Gilad Shalit was traded after 5 years for over 1000 prisoners including the butcher Sinwar. It has taken 115 days for Netanyahu to agree that Jewish life is truly sacred and another trade must be arranged.
Keith himself has done various jobs, he’s a pharmaceutical rep. Aviva is a kindergarten teacher. She Was holding the young girl Avigayil while leaving Gaza. Both live in kibbutz gezer.
It has been, for Lee, a surreal experience. Tired, lots of talking. It’s what we can do, advocate, protest. PTSD for the whole country.
The Israeli government has had relatively little communication with the families. Lots of ex-Mossad people as liaisons. There is a guy who limits who gets to sit with Netanyahu. The ones who see him are not representative of the hostage families. Galant has spoken with many families but he’s a full war advocate. Netanyahu has little credibility with the families but how do you change prime minister during a war?
“I hope that the day after we Israelis will hold onto the unity that is everywhere now. But we will win means different things to different people.”
Hostage Square is across from the kiriyah, Israel’s pentagon.
There is a strong feeling that the war cabinet and government have not felt the urgency of the hostages and their families.
The families are not military people. They know that the short pause allowed 100 hostages to get out. There is no release of hostages during military action, only during a pause in fighting.
The immediacy and struggle of the family of just one captive Israeli hostage held by the Hamas’ Palestinian terrorists was powerful and disturbing to hear and feel. May all of our prayers and actions help bring these hostages home speedily and soon.