report
The first light on the Hanukkah menorah burns. But it is a dark time for the relatives of the hostages who are still in the hands of Hamas. They are calling on politicians to do more to ensure their release.
There is a very quiet crowd in the square in front of the large art museum in Tel Aviv, which they have renamed “Hostages Square.” Hundreds of people came. Here too, they want to be there when the first Hanukkah candle is lit.
At the front of the stage are the relatives – including Lee Siegel. His brother Keith lived on Kibbutz Be’eri and was kidnapped by the terrorists on October 7th to the Gaza Strip.
It is said that Hanukkah is the festival of light. For me it’s more of a festival of darkness. Metaphorically speaking, below or above ground in the Gaza Strip you are in darkness, not in light. I really hope Keith gets released. If not tomorrow, then in a week. But until then I can only imagine him in the dark.
Relatives of the remaining hostages in the Gaza Strip walk with torches in Tel Aviv and call on politicians to do more to release the hostages.
Concern for remaining hostages in the Gaza Strip
His sister-in-law, Aviva, was released during the ceasefire on November 26th. It was a celebration for Lee Siegel’s family. But as much as he was happy about that, he was also worried about his brother. Hanukkah, the festival of lights, actually celebrates victory over darkness.
But this year everything is different: “It was a huge joy, very good – until last Friday morning. We were excited to see Aviva and we were sure that Keith would be coming home in one of the next groups. He is too Americans. But then: no more ceasefire, no more hostage releases,” says Seigel.
“It’s about life and death”
Fighting has been going on in Gaza again since last Friday. Since then, it has become more difficult for the relatives of the abducted hostages to have hope. Gil Dickmann is 31 years old and comes from Tel Aviv. His cousin, Carmel, was visiting her parents on October 7th, also at Kibbutz Be’eri. She had just returned from a long trip.
Her mother was killed. And some of the things that the released hostages report from captivity are pure horror for Gil Dickmann.
It sounds like Hamas is torturing the hostages, touching them. Women, men, old, sick people who die while they are there. This is a terrible war crime and the whole world should understand what is happening here. This is not an Israeli thing, not an Israel-Palestine thing. It’s a matter of life and death, a humanitarian issue – it has to stop now.
Hanukkah festival of lights
With the festival of lights Hanukkah (Hebrew: consecration), Jews celebrate the victory of the Maccabees over the Syrian armies in 164 BC and the rededication of the Jerusalem Temple. Because the eternal light in the temple is said to have burned miraculously for eight days, another candle is lit on the candlestick every day.
All hostages should be released – immediately
Every day Jews around the world light another Hanukkah candle these days. Symbolically, more and more light comes into the world. There is also a large Hanukkah lampstand in the middle of Tel Aviv, in the “Hostages Square”.
There is a mixture of sadness, hope and determination on the square – even if the call is actually a demand for politicians. The hostages should finally be released – all of them. Namely: “Achshav” – now. Gil Dickmann knows that his cousin is a strong woman. Fellow prisoners saw her and reported about her.
“We know that she is alive in Gaza. We know this from the released hostages. They have told us not only that she is physically fine, but that she has been doing yoga and meditation with the others in captivity to care for her also to strengthen mentally,” says Dickmann.
He hopes she still does that while she’s there. He hopes it won’t take much longer. That perhaps she will be free when Hanukkah comes to an end – when the eighth candle burns.
Jan-Christoph Kitzler, ARD Tel Aviv, tagesschau, December 8th, 2023 6:49 a.m