By Max Averbach
Special to Hakol
In 1980-81, during the Iran hostage crisis, Walter Cronkite, America’s most renowned news anchor, ended every segment of his show, CBS Evening News, with the number of days the hostages had been held captive in Iran. Since October 7, Jewish communities across the world have been counting each day the Israeli hostages have been held in Gaza, each day since our lives have been turned upside down and thrust into a nightmare.
There are 107 hostages, living and dead, being held in Gaza (this and all the numbers in this article were current on August 30). Forty-one of them have been confirmed deceased, and the fates of the other 74 are unknown. Israel has a population of 9.8 million people. Starting with that figure, if you consider the Columbia University study that showed the average American knows 611 people, you can estimate that 1 of every 150 Israelis personally knows one of the hostages. The math also indicates that Israelis who do not personally know a hostage know someone who does.
There are only 15.7 million Jews in the world, with 7.2 million of them living in Israel and 6.3 million in the United States. Since most American Jews know at least one resident of Israel, most are only two or three links away from knowing a hostage.
The hostages are more than just statistics. They are human beings, human beings who have been suffering greatly for nearly 330 days. Ever since October 7, more and more information has been revealed about their lives before their kidnappings, which has made it easier for us to make our own personal connections to them. They are people who share common hobbies, family histories, backgrounds, and struggles with us.
Recognizing the similarities between them and us allows us to see them as more than a number, even more than a name and face, but as our fellow human beings. Two members of the Lehigh Valley Jewish community, Tama Tamarkin and Alicia Zahn, have contributed some of their own personal connections to the 107 hostages.
Tamarkin shared, “Hostage Eden Yerushalmi likes to do Pilates. I like to do Pilates. Bar Kuperstein is a grandson of Holocaust survivors. I too am a grandchild of Holocaust survivors. Shiri Bibas is a mother of two boys. I am a mother of two boys (and a girl). Omer Neutra is a 22-year-old Israeli American. He deferred his college acceptance to Binghamton University to move to Israel. I grew up in Binghamton and went to tennis camp at Binghamton University. My mom taught Yiddish there. I have celiac disease and so do two of my kids. Omer Shem-Tov, a 21-year-old hostage who was stolen from a music festival where he went to dance and spread peace, also has celiac disease. I have met Omer’s mom and cousin and have promised to fight for him!”
Zahn shared, “One of my sons is 26 years old and loves to attend concerts and music festivals. Almog Sarusi, 26, was kidnapped from the Nova Music Festival. My daughter graduated from Parkland High School and, as an American citizen, volunteered to join the Israeli army. She is now a dual Israeli-U.S. citizen living in Israel. Edan Alexander, 20, is an Israel-U.S. citizen who also volunteered to join the Israeli army. He was serving near the Gaza border at the time of Hamas’s attack. He was taken to Gaza as a hostage. In March, I celebrated my father’s 89th birthday with him. In March, Shlomo Mansour turned 86 in captivity. He was kidnapped from Kibbutz Kissufim, where he lived and worked as a chicken coop manager. His wife, Mazal, managed to escape and is waiting for him along with their five children and 12 grandchildren. One of my sons is 24 years old and is living his best life in New York City. Matan Zanguaker, 24, was taken from his home in Nir Oz, and we don't even have proof that he is still living.”
For several months, posters of two hostages have resided on my dresser: Agam Berger and Oded Lifshitz. Agam Berger, 20, spent her first nine months from conception as I did: sharing a womb with a twin (Li-Yam). When Agam was in fourth grade, she started playing the violin, like many of my good friends, and, also like them, became a skilled violinist. On October 5, Agam reported to Nahal Oz for her mandatory Israel Defense Forces service. Less than 48 hours later, she was taken hostage by Hamas along with six others.
Oded Lifshitz, 84, worked for several decades as a journalist, the same career that I myself desire. As a journalist, he advocated for the Bedouins expelled from the Sinai Peninsula, was one of the first journalists to report on the Sabra and Shatila massacres, and drove Gazans in need of medical care to Israeli hospitals. On the morning of October 7, Oded was taken hostage by Hamas alongside his wife, Yocheved. Yocheved was released in October, while Oded has not been heard from since.
It would be remiss not to mention Bipin Joshi of Nepal and the eight Thai hostages that are still being held. It would be further remiss not to mention four muslims—Hamza and Youssef Al-Ziadna, Hisham al-Sayed, and Mohammed Al-Atrash—who still remain in captivity.
There have been increasing demands for a permanent ceasefire due to the ongoing humanitarian crisis in Gaza. The atrocities that took place on October 7, while only months ago, have faded into the distant past for many. For the Jewish community, there has not been a chance to begin healing from the devastation, as the same instrument that inflicted the injury remains in action for as long as the hostages remain in captivity in Gaza. Similarly, the Gazans are unable to begin healing from their catastrophic losses while their wounds progressively widen. For there to be future peace in the region, both Israelis and Gazans need to begin to heal. Israel has made clear that its military campaign in Gaza will not end until the hostages are released, making their emancipation vital to ending this war.
Bring them home now!