OCTOBER 10 • 2024 | 15
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had been shot and there were terrorists everywhere.
Maya was released on Nov. 25 and Itay on Nov. 29.
Maya, who endured much of her captivity in
a Gaza hospital after nearly losing a foot from
delayed treatment from gunshot wounds, said
there were “signs” that someone was listening. In a
remarkable story, Maya explained that as a coping
mechanism, Itay and their friend Omer Shemtov,
who remains a hostage, shared their favorite
memories of home. Above all, they missed having
Shabbat dinners and saying Kiddush and Motzi
with their families.
Maya said the next Friday, one of their captors
gave them some grape juice and a piece of bagel
to make Kiddush and Motzi and gave this to them
every Friday.
“Every week they told each other, ‘Next yom
shishi (Friday), we would be back home with our
families,” Maya said to the crowd. “We know that
Omer is still there, and he is saying Kiddush every
yom shishi until he is home.”
Translating her father’s Hebrew to English, Maya
said her parents never lost faith in God, traveled
around the world to speak to leaders of govern-
ments to secure their release and kept Torah scrolls
in their bedrooms. Ilan said he also received phone
calls from someone in Gaza to inform him of the
status of his children.
“
As Jews, we need to always be together, to never
forget each other, and keep going strong for our
hostages who are still there and being abused,” said
Maya, translating for her father.
Also speaking to the crowd was Israeli Jen Airley,
whose son Benyamin was killed in battle in Gaza.
As the Jewish New Year approached, Airley told
people to turn and greet and bless each other for
Rosh Hashanah and to commit to doing one more
mitzvah for 5785.
“There is not one Jew anywhere in the world that
is extra, just as there is not one letter in the Torah
that is extra,” Ariel said. “No Jew is created with-
out a purpose. And if we are still in this war, that
means you all have a purpose in this war. Though
you may not have a uniform or a gun, we all have
a job to do. That job can be giving more tzedakah,
coming to Israel on a mission, or learning more
Torah, praying or performing acts of kindness. This
is what as a nation we are all about.”
U-M Jewish
community
holds solidarity
rally for Israel.
Rise’
continued on page 16
About 900
people
attended the
Together We
Rise rally.
Danny Portnoy,
president of
the Jewish
Resource center,
addresses the
crowd.
Former hostages siblings Itay and
Maya Regev with their father, Ilan