{"id":16302,"date":"2025-03-03T21:02:55","date_gmt":"2025-03-03T19:02:55","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/reganews.co.il\/en\/?p=16302"},"modified":"2025-03-04T11:15:56","modified_gmt":"2025-03-04T09:15:56","slug":"hostages-inspire-return-to-jewish-identity-and-tradition","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/reganews.co.il\/en\/hostages-inspire-return-to-jewish-identity-and-tradition\/","title":{"rendered":"Hostages Inspire a Return to Jewish Identity and Tradition"},"content":{"rendered":"

For over 500 days, we have been living in an atmosphere marked by the events of the Simchat Torah massacre and the Swords of Iron war that followed. Wars and crises intensify deep processes and strengthen internal trends that have sometimes\u00a0 been hidden. A simple analysis of the socio-spiritual index of Israeli society, disconnected from the lenses of media studios, clearly reveals that there has been a discernible trend for over a decade of rising demand for anything that strengthens and enhances Jewish identity.<\/p>\n

A prominent example of this is revealed through the testimonies of the released hostages. After waiting for their return to the embrace of their families, both personally and nationally, the things the hostages such as Agam Berger, Keith Segal, and others, say have elevated this trend of connecting to Jewish identity to heights we have not seen before. One by one, they expressed the necessity and presence of the Almighty in their lives during captivity, revealing the source of their faith and hope in the tunnels, and simply highlighting the strength of their connection to the commandments, Shabbat, prayer, and tefillin.<\/p>\n

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\u00a0Agam Berger in Joseph’s Tomb | Photo: Roi Hadi, Shomron Regional Council<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Time for Renewal of Identity and Values<\/strong>
\nAs an organization engaged in fostering Jewish identity in the communities surrounding the Gaza border, we\u2019ve found ourselves increasingly responding to individuals and institutions in the area of Jewish celebrations, Shabbat observance, and events in the Jewish calendar such as matzah baking, Selichot, Yom Kippur prayers, and diverse educational content in educational institutions.<\/p>\n

Unprecedented Demand for Jewish Identity<\/strong>
\nSince the outbreak of the war, we are witnessing peaks in demand that we were not accustomed to, not just in the volume of inquiries but primarily in the intensity of the demand, in the direct appeal to the sacred and in the emotional identification with the topics. No media outlet or organization trying to obscure Jewish identity can stop the trend that has become a flowing river.<\/p>\n

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Released hostage Sasha lays tefillin next to Rabbi Lazar at Sheba Hospital | Photo: GPO<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Currently, we are in the midst of a project to write a Torah scroll in memory of the fallen from the city of Sderot. The uniqueness of the initiative is that it comes from youth students from Sderot, not from an institution associated with religious education. Yet we are amazed by the strength of the youth\u2019s identification with the initiative and their commitment to mobilize all their acquaintances for its success.<\/p>\n