By Leah Garber
“A quarter of my heart has returned to us, but our home remains empty.”
These words from the family of Yarden Bibas, who was released from captivity last Saturday, echo the pain and hope of a nation.
In recent weeks, every Saturday, the hearts of millions of Jews and countless others worldwide skip a beat, wondering which hostages, bound by straps of evil and cruelty, will be released from Hamas captivity, and in what condition. Thousands make their way to Hostages Square in the heart of Tel Aviv, joining the tense silence that envelops the crowd, watching giant screens that broadcast the release in real-time, and then, together with the masses, release their held breath with cries of joy.
The cynicism with which Hamas terrorists conduct their satanic ceremony—presenting ridiculous “release certificates” as if by their grace and goodness they freed hostages kidnapped from their homes on October 7, along with absurd “gift bags” and demands to wave and smile from the ceremony stage—do not diminish our joy here. This show, another expression of psychological terrorism, pretense, and vile propaganda, cannot overshadow the immense relief felt by an entire nation welcoming home its sons and daughters returning from hell.
Last Saturday, three emerged from the thick darkness of imprisonment into the light of freedom: Yarden Bibas, Ofer Kalderon, and Keith Siegel.
Yarden was kidnapped separately from his family. Images of him, beaten and bleeding, being brutally transported on a motorcycle and surrounded by a wild mob, were published worldwide. His terror-filled eyes reflected the horror of all massacre victims. His wife Shiri and their two children, Kfir and Ariel, also were kidnapped, and their fate remains unknown. A heavy cloud hangs over hopes that they are still alive.
When a much thinner Yarden came home last Saturday, his sad eyes once again expressed the feelings of an entire nation. His first question—”What about Shiri and the children?”—remained unanswered. He returned to an empty house to begin a long journey of physical and mental rehabilitation. His main efforts, though, will be focused on bringing his family home.
“Fight for me. I don’t want to die in the tunnels,” were Ofer Kalderon’s last words to his daughter, Sahar, before she and her brother, Erez, were released in the first deal in November 2023. It’s hard to imagine how Ofer felt then, amidst the joy and relief that his two beloved children were being released alongside the realization that he and many others were staying behind in Hamas captivity. While recovering from their captivity, Sahar and Erez have fought tirelessly for their father’s freedom. On Saturday, the family reunited; Ofer finally got to embrace all four of his children.
A year ago, at Mifgash: Executive Leadership Forum, JCC Association’s annual gathering of North America’s senior professional leaders, we hosted six families of hostages, including Sharon, Ofer Kalderon’s sister-in-law, who spoke with a broken heart about Ofer, the family’s concern for his life, and the struggle for his release. In snow-covered Denver, Sharon and members of the five other families were enveloped in the warm, supportive embrace of all in attendance.
Max Nordau, co-founder with Theodor Herzl of the Zionist Organization, whose death we commemorate today, 102 years later, said: “A thread, almost invisible to the eye yet impossible to sever, stretches from this land’s soil to the heart of every Jew, wherever they may be.” Indeed, we encounter this thread in every JCC, in every Jewish community across North America, and throughout the broader Jewish world.
Last week at the JCC of Greater Baltimore, as JCC leaders again gathered for Mifgash, this thread was visible in brilliant yellow on our name badges, in empty seats in the meeting auditorium, and on many of our lapels as hostage pins. Above all, it hovered over all of us who know and understand that our fates are intertwined—not by necessity but by choice.
Keith Siegel was born and raised in a small North Carolina town and made aliyah at 21. On October 7, he and his wife Aviva were kidnapped from their home on Kibbutz Kfar Aza. Aviva was released in the first deal, while Keith remained behind. In early December, his 96-year-old mother died in the U.S., but Keith, still captive, could not attend the funeral or mourn her loss.
In about a week, the Jewish world will celebrate Tu B’Shvat, the festival honoring nature. In a demonstration of perfect timing, Laura Friedman, the remarkable CEO of Shimon and Sara Birnbaum JCC in Bridgewater, New Jersey, sent me a personal letter last night that she received following Keith’s release. In the letter, a member of the community, thanks to last year’s Tu B’Shvat event at the JCC, found herself attached to that same thread and personally connected to Keith’s story:
Laura,
Last year at Tu B’Shvat, I came into the JCC and saw a table filled with pots of cactus plants, where each plant had the name of an October 7 hostage… Giving the plants [away] was such a nice way to celebrate Tu B’Shvat, so I took a plant home.
When I looked at my plant, I saw a name—Samuel Keith Siegel. I kept checking to see if there was any news of Samuel Keith Siegel. A few weeks ago, Keith Siegel was listed as an American Israeli citizen who would soon be returned to Israel. And yesterday, I saw photos on TV of Keith Siegel returning to Israel, reunited with his wife and three daughters. I was so happy! Although I don’t know Keith and he doesn’t know me, I feel a special connection with Keith. I would like to thank you and the JCC for your thoughtfulness in providing a way for JCC members to remember the October 7 tragedy.
With appreciation,
Marsha Malberg”
Since October 7, JCCs across North America have been dedicated to ensuring that the war and its implications in Israel and the Jewish world remain a part of JCC programming. The emphasis on highlighting important nuances in understanding our current reality, the persistence in bringing more and more Israeli artists, speakers, and content into our communities throughout these 15 months, testifies, above all, to the strong connection between JCCs and Israel—and to the commitment woven into this unbreakable thread of Jewish peoplehood. More than a quarter of a million participants in hundreds of diverse events during the past 15 months, all supported by JCC Association under the Mit-habrim initiative, are the fibers that make up this eternal thread, and they will ensure its resilience—our resilience—for all time.
Never have I felt such pride and gratitude in being part of the JCC Movement, a movement that has inscribed in its vision the mutual responsibility and steadfast support for Jewish values and the practical expression of Zionism in the form of our beloved State of Israel.
Together, united, we will overcome.
Leah Garber is a senior vice president of JCC Association of North America and director of its Center for Israel Engagement in Jerusalem.
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