Hamas terrorists took my family hostage
Hamas terrorists kidnapped five members of my family on Oct. 7.
Just more than a week later, two of the five − Carmela Dan, an 80-year-old woman, and Noya Dan, a 13-year-old autistic teenager − were confirmed slaughtered by Hamas terrorists. Carmela was an American citizen, as am I. Her father moved to Israel to help build the state in the 1930s.
After nearly a month, two of the remaining three − Erez Kalderon, a 12-year-old boy, and Sahar Kalderon, a 16-year-old girl − were released on Nov. 27.
One of my family members − Ofer Kalderon, a 53-year-old father − remains a hostage. He is a carpenter, a bike rider, a dedicated father, a human being.
We are shouting at the top of our lungs: Help!
We were attacked. We were raped. We were beheaded. We were dismembered. We were stolen from our homes and are being held in tunnels. We are being held without adequate access to food, water, bathrooms or medicine.
We were brutally attacked on Oct. 7, and the world is largely standing against us.
Hamas terrorists still hold scores of hostages
Hamas still holds 138 human beings in captivity. They are primarily men. There are women whom Hamas refuses to release for fear of the stories they will tell. As women, we understand what that means.
Stop for a moment. Imagine if this were your father. Your mother. Your brother. Your sister. Your grandfather. Your grandmother. Your husband. Your wife.
Now, consider if you woke up, like I did on Oct. 7, to sirens. To 3,500 rockets being launched at your home. That’s scary enough. Then you see your 11-year-old cousin being dragged from his home in the bloody hands of Hamas terrorists (Erez turned 12 in captivity).
Erez, Sahar and their father, Ofer, woke Oct. 7 to sirens. They hid in their bomb shelter until they heard explosions and escaped through the window of their shelter. They hid in the bushes, watching as hundreds of terrorists infiltrated their kibbutz.
They were taken against their will, forced to endure a horrific journey to Gaza and unimaginable terrors at the hands of terrorists. They were three of the 240 Israelis stolen on Oct. 7.
With the release of several hostages, we are learning of the abuse they suffered. The lack of food. The beatings. The burnings. The rapes.
The world wants us to be happy because they are home. Do not get us wrong, we are happy they are home. But we are also horrified at what happened to them and what that means for those who are still there, like Ofer.
Hamas has created a humanitarian crisis
A humanitarian crisis now exists in Gaza because of Hamas’ lack of leadership and because their desire to kill Jews is more important than keeping their own people alive.
As Jews, the sanctity of life is paramount. We want every single hostage home − whether they are your blood family or not, each hostage feels like family. Men. Women. Old. Young. They are wounded. They are suffering. We cannot begin to heal or rebuild until they are home.
This is not just an Israeli issue, though, or even a Jewish one. It’s a fundamental global imperative. As Americans, we stood in unity against evil after 9/11. I am asking you to stand against evil now.
If we don’t stand as one against terrorists and demand the release of innocent people being held captive by people who care more about the destruction of life than creating viable solutions, Oct. 7 will happen again and again. This time it’s my family, but next time it could be yours.
The Talmud, the primary source of Jewish law, says, “Whoever saves one life … saves an entire world” (Sanhedrin 4:5). Raise your voice. Write to your elected official. Demand that the hostages be released. Every single life. Every single world.
