SALT LAKE CITY — The Jewish community in Utah is in deep sorrow over the tragic loss of six hostages in Gaza. The Israeli military has confirmed that the bodies were retrieved from a subterranean tunnel in Rafah city.
“Our hearts are in pieces,” expressed Rabbi Benny Zippel of Chabad Lubavitch of Utah.
He conveyed that the realization that these six individuals will not return has inflicted profound grief on his community.
“We were all holding onto the hope that they would come back,” Zippel stated. “Such incidents create a fissure in our hope, not a break. Hope is never shattered. It’s a fissure that lets in light, but a fissure nonetheless.”
A Mother’s Tale
Einav Danino, the mother of Ori Danino, one of the hostages, visited Utah in July to recount her son’s story. She addressed the congregation at Chabad of Park City.
“She was hopeful, determined, focused, optimistic, and idealistic,” Zippel recalled. “You could see it in her eyes, a Jewish woman in pain, a mother in agony, but she never lost hope. She was resolute that she would see her son again.”
Ori Danino was abducted by Hamas during the Nova music festival on October 7, 2023.
“He thought about his friends who might still need help, and so he bravely decided to go back and help his friends,” Zippel narrated.
That’s when he was captured.
Zippel said the knowledge that her son’s life was taken makes the situation even more devastating.
Amos Guiora, an Israeli-American law professor at the University of Utah, spoke about the deep connection Israelis share with each other.
A Personal Affair
“It’s incredibly personal, we all know each other,” Guiora said.
He divides his time between Israel and Utah.
“I served in the Israel Defense Forces for 20 years, and I’ve been in American academia for 20 years,” he shared. ”I grew up in Ann Arbor, Michigan, and I split my time. I’m 50% here, working full-time, living full-time.”
His family is in Israel, where he said raw emotion is palpable.
“I don’t know what the future holds, but there is clearly a mix of simmering anger and raw emotion,” Guiora observed.
Protests erupted across Israel following the news of the hostages’ deaths. There’s worry for the other 101 people still held captive.
“Many of us realized that the longer this situation continued, since October 7th, the more likely it was that most of them, though I don’t know the exact number, were in grave danger,” he said.
Guiora said Israel is torn between wanting a hostage deal and those who refuse to capitulate to Hamas.
He mentioned a growing discontent with Israel’s Prime Minister, Benjamin Netanyahu.
“I saw messages from friends saying that the protest outside his house tonight is just sad,” Guiora said. “But then at some point, people say, as we say in Hebrew, ‘Dayenu,’ which means ‘enough is enough.'”
A nationwide strike was organized in response to the hostage deaths, affecting banks, air travel, and other operations.
Optimistic for a Solution
Guiora expressed optimism that the strong and vocal response to the killing of the six hostages will bring ceasefire discussions closer to a resolution.
“Anger, seething,” he said. “They shouldn’t have been killed.”
Guiora believes that Netanyahu is not closing the deal due to personal political reasons. He said this is where much of the Israelis’ anger originates.
“I think that the killing of the six made it very clear to many of us that if we don’t take to the streets, then the fate of the hostages is all but sealed,” Guiora said.
Rabbi Zippel said his congregation will continue to pray for peace.
“In times like these, we need to remind ourselves that the best way to overcome any adversity is by showing unity,” he said.
He urges the community to perform one good deed in memory of these hostages.
“The most effective way to combat darkness is by spreading light, and so I would like to encourage people not to stop at feeling the pain and the heartache from events like what happened this past weekend, but to take it a step further and remain committed to spreading light,” Zippel said.
Heartbroken for the Utah Jewish community.
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