{"id":19891,"date":"2025-04-16T22:55:11","date_gmt":"2025-04-16T19:55:11","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/reganews.co.il\/en\/?p=19891"},"modified":"2025-04-16T23:10:50","modified_gmt":"2025-04-16T20:10:50","slug":"rediscovering-freedom-a-former-hostages-passover-reflection","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/reganews.co.il\/en\/rediscovering-freedom-a-former-hostages-passover-reflection\/","title":{"rendered":"Rediscovering Freedom: A Former Hostage\u2019s Passover Reflections"},"content":{"rendered":"

This year, Passover takes on a deep and renewed meaning for Eliyah Cohen, who returned home less than two months ago after over 500 days held captive by Hamas. \u201cThroughout that entire period, the word \u2018freedom\u2019 felt like a distant dream,\u201d Cohen shares in an interview with RegaNews.<\/p>\n

\u201cI lost control of everything in my life – my time, my location, my body. I had no power to change the reality I was trapped in.\u201d<\/p>\n

Freedom That Cannot Be Taken<\/strong>
\nBut in that very darkness, Eliyah discovered that true freedom is not just physical\u2014it\u2019s spiritual.<\/p>\n

\u201cTrue freedom is the ability to choose how to see reality,\u201d he explains. \u201cAmid the hardship, lies, and torture, no one could take away my thoughts, my faith, or my will to hold on to life.\u201d<\/p>\n

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Eliyah during his release | Photo: Yonatan Sindel\/Flash90<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

A Journey from Darkness to Light<\/strong>
\nEliyah describes moments of despair, but that he always returned to what anchored him\u2014his love for his family and his people.<\/p>\n

\u201cWhen my freedom was restored, I understood I wasn\u2019t just free in body\u2014but also in spirit,\u201d he reflects. \u201cThe freedom to feel, to think, to choose how I want to see the world and life itself.\u201d<\/p>\n

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Friends and family during his release | Photo: Tomer Neuberg\/Flash90<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

A Heart Not Yet Whole<\/strong>
\nThis holiday, surrounded by friends and family, Eliyah is more grateful than ever for what he once took for granted. But his joy is not complete. \u201cI\u2019m not truly free as long as my brothers are still there,\u201d he said. \u201cAs long as they remain in Gaza, my heart isn\u2019t whole.\u201d<\/p>\n

Cohen sees Passover as a reminder of a collective responsibility to bring the remaining hostages home.<\/p>\n

\u201cThis year, my wish is that we realize how precious our freedom is,\u201d he says with heartfelt intent. \u201cThat we learn to cherish it, protect it, and never take what we have for granted. And that we soon see the day when all the hostages return, all families are whole, and all of Israel is free\u2014in body and in soul.\u201d<\/p>\n

The Emotional Moments of Eliyah Arriving`Home:<\/strong>
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