600 Jewish women, arm in arm, singing together, 
“Hinei ma tov uma naim…”

Yeshiva Beth Yehudah Special Edition NOVEMBER 3 • 2024 | 13
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but went back to rescue people he had just met. 
After finding them, his car was shot up by Hamas, 
and they were captured and abducted to Gaza.
Einav explained that when Ori was 13, he was 
critically injured in a serious car accident on his 
way to his bar mitzvah. She prayed to Hashem 
for her son to recover and made a commitment 
that if he answered her prayers, she would never 
ask “why” or question Hashem. Two weeks later, 
Ori walked out of the hospital. And Einav stuck 
to her promise. For more than 300 days after he 
was kidnapped, she prayed for Ori to survive. Yet 
she never asked, “Why him?” Her faith has never 
wavered, even with Ori’s tragic murder. 
“Even in darkness we choose to see light” are the 
words inscribed on rubber bracelets RISE attend-
ees received, a constant reminder of the light that 
Ori brought into this world. 
In her parting message, Einav described how 
the six murdered hostages, all with different back-
grounds, managed to get along with one another. 
Without food, without light, without air — in the 
face of unspeakable adversity, they overcame their 
differences. So, for all of us in our everyday lives 
filled with abundance, it serves as a poignant les-
son. Jewish unity is needed now more than ever. 
We wiped the tears from our eyes following 
Einav’s powerful remarks, and as the evening 
came to a close, we gathered arm-in-arm to sing 
the beloved psalm about unity, “Hinei mah tov 
umah-nayim shevet achim gam yachad.
” 
Lior Zisser-Yogev and her daughters Zeve and Rona pose for a picture with Malke Torgow in middle of the action.

Einav Danino, mother of murdered hostage Ori Danino, is flanked by Matana Poupko Jacobs and Erin Steibel 
as she takes challah and makes the blessing.

