Former hostage Emily Damari was gifted a BMW by Shai Graucher, a businessman known for his social activism and generous donations, on Tuesday.
In a video uploaded to social media, Graucher is seen holding yellow and blue balloons through the sunroof of the car.
"Emily, we've just started the kindness; we're going to spoil you," he said.
Damari said the shehecheyanu blessing, a prayer traditionally recited at a time of the celebration of a special occasion while wishing for the return of all the hostages.
"I have no words; I'm shaking," she said, smiling as she sat in the driver’s seat.
She deserves it! Israeli businessman and Hasidic rabbi Shai Graucher just gifted former hostage Emily Damari a brand spankin' new BMW. pic.twitter.com/WUX8zhpHwA
— The Mossad: Satirical and Awesome (@TheMossadIL) February 25, 2025
"This is what happens when you go to the [Western Wall]!" Graucher laughed, referencing Damari's visit just after she was released.
Emily Damari
Emily Damari, a now-28-year-old British-Israeli, was freed from Hamas captivity after over a year as part of the first phase of a hostage-ceasefire deal.
On the morning of October 7, Damari was abducted from her Kfar Aza apartment along with 37 other residents of her kibbutz.
Damari’s friend Bar Kislev told Israel’s Channel 12 that she saw Damari’s vehicle being driven around the kibbutz at 11 a.m. on the day of the invasion.
The terrorists "shot [her] in the hand,” and she was “injured by shrapnel in her leg, blindfolded, bundled into the back of her own car, and driven back to Gaza", according to her mother Mandy.
The invading terrorists murdered Damari’s dog Choocha, after they shot him in the back of the neck.
Shai Graucher
Shai Graucher is the founder of Chessed V’Rachamim (sometimes called Standing Together), an organization that has supported initiatives such as buying washing machines for IDF bases or sending widows and orphans on dream vacations.
Danielle Greyman-Kennard contributed to this post.