Deputy Foreign Minister Sharren Haskel (New Hope-United Right) welcomed the diplomatic corps to the Foreign Ministry in Jerusalem on Thursday for a special Passover Seder, dedicated to calling for the immediate return of the hostages from Gaza.
Among the key speakers were former hostage Noa Argamani and Ditza Or, the mother of her partner Avinatan Or, who is still being held captive in Gaza.Haskel, Argamani, and Or shared testimonies of kidnapping and captivity and spoke about Avinatan Or’s character.Among the room of diplomats was an empty table, bearing only placards of hostage posters. The table was representative of those still held hostage and unable to spend Passover as free people in Israel.
Argamani’s harrowing account of the October 7 massacre included the moment the hostages understood that something larger was at hand and began running for their lives, before finally being abducted, shed light on a traumatizing experience. While trying to escape the terrorists, Argamani said she had heard someone screaming about a terrorist, then scream again and go silent after being murdered in cold blood not far away.
Remembering hostages on Pesach
She told the attendees about who she was held in captivity with and periods in which she was surrounded by five terrorists, her understanding that the men she was held with had been killed by Hamas terrorists, and being surrounded by deadly weapons with no real knowledge of where she was.
Argamani addressed the topic of freedom in light of Passover.“While we’re talking about freedom, there are 59 hostages, innocent people, from whom freedom was taken,” she said.
Ditza Or called for her son’s return and spoke about his three-year anniversary with his partner, Noa, and his “heart of gold.” She spoke about Avinatan’s love for children and his endeavors volunteering in a pediatric oncology unit.She said her son had already been kept in a state of darkness and uncertainty for well over a year, even as he spent his 31st and 32nd birthdays as a hostage.“Avinatan’s story is not just a story of grief; it is the story of the larger struggle for freedom of humanity and of a worldwide collective future,” Or said.Haskel told The Jerusalem Post: “More than 60 ambassadors came today to show solidarity with Israel. I hope they go back with [these] stories in their hearts. We need more international pressure on Hamas.”She explained Passover to the attendees, drawing parallels between the more than 3,000-year-old story and the current situation in Gaza.“Families gather for the Seder, a ritual meal featuring symbolic food, matzah, unleavened bread, and bitter herbs to retell the story of the Exodus [by reading from] the Haggadah... a participatory guide with prayers, song, and discussions about the meaning of the holiday, which we experience today,” Haskel said. But “for the second year in a row, it’s hard to fathom a celebration so fundamental to Jewish and Israeli identity – the original story of Jews breaking the shackles of bondage and returning to their ancestral land as free people.“Fifty-nine of our brothers and sisters are still in chains in the dungeons of Hamas hell in Gaza, while the perpetrator of these crimes against humanity, Hamas, remains armed and in charge of Gaza,” Haskel said.