This Passover is not just a historical remembrance, it is a national wake-up call.
As we have gathered around the Seder table on the very evening we celebrate our freedom, we must remember that we are not truly free as long as dozens of our brothers and sisters, civilians and soldiers, remain captives in the hands of Hamas terrorists.
This year, once again, the holiday of freedom becomes a moral, national, and human test. Spending the holiday in darkness, deep in Hamas tunnels, are our abducted heroes of October 7. While we recited the shehechiyanu blessing over the holiday, they will remain deprived of daylight, subjected to abuse, and cut off from their families. Hamas denies them medical care, basic living conditions, and even the right to a sign of life. They prevent us from knowing who is alive and what condition they are in.
US President Donald Trump addressed the issue during his recent meeting with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, saying, “The Israeli people want more than anything to bring the hostages home.” He went on to describe the powerful impression left on him by the hostages he met at the White House:
“I asked them if anyone in Hamas showed them compassion. They said, ‘No, they slapped us.’ Their [Hamas’] hatred is unimaginable. They [the hostages] lived through hell, and still, they did not appear broken. I’ve never seen anything like it.”
In a typical year, we ask, “Why is this night different?” as part of a centuries-old tradition.
The security failures that enabled the disaster of October 7 will be investigated and debated. But for now, our responsibility is simple and clear: bring the hostages home without delay.
Our freedom is incomplete as long as even one hostage sits in the darkness of Gaza. Passover, the holiday of freedom, will be hollow if it doesn’t include a firm commitment to their release.
Hamas, an Islamist terror organization openly calling for Israel’s destruction, holds in its hands the living proof of failed diplomatic arrangements and the weakness of the free world’s response.
The silence of the international community is a disgrace. And empty words don’t bring hostages home. Only decisive action, sustained pressure, and internal unity will achieve results.
Incitement within Israeli academia
Much is spoken about the importance of national unity, yet even amid war, we still hear of Israeli academics inciting against IDF soldiers.
Ben-Gurion University recently suspended Dr. Sebastian Ben-Daniel until further notice due to a series of social media posts attacking IDF soldiers. In recent years, he has published numerous anti-Israel posts under the alias “John Brown.”
The controversy flared after Ben-Daniel wrote that IDF soldiers are “trained to kill.” Students demanded his dismissal in response.
Ben-Gurion University released the following statement: “The university strongly condemns and rejects the defamatory remarks made by ‘John Brown’ against IDF soldiers, especially given that many within our community are soldiers themselves. However, as appalling as his statements are, they were not made in the course of his academic duties.”
Ben-Daniel later published a letter of apology to students following a meeting with the university rector, stating: “I regret that the uproar surrounding what I posted on social media is affecting you and has entered the classroom against our will.”
The Im Tirtzu movement responded: “The lecturer hasn’t retracted his words and issued only an embarrassing apology. Suspension is not enough, he should be dismissed.”
Meanwhile, some in academia continue to embrace Israeli lecturers who call for sanctions against the state.
One such example came this week, when the Hebrew University of Jerusalem’s administration, in an unusual move, announced it would award a lifetime achievement prize to Prof. Eva Illouz – despite what it called “unacceptable interference” by Education Minister Yoav Kisch in the Israel Prize selection committee’s decisions. Two weeks ago, Kisch disqualified Illouz from receiving the Israel Prize due to her support in 2021 for a petition to the International Criminal Court (ICC) in The Hague against Israel. The university emphasized that Prof. Illouz, of the Department of Sociology and Anthropology, is a model of academic research and contribution.
Woe to the university whose faculty members behave this way.
The hostages and the Haggadah
The Hostage Families Forum recently published a comprehensive medical mapping report detailing the deteriorating condition of 24 hostages held by Hamas in Gaza, highlighting the real and immediate danger to their lives. The report includes a detailed analysis of their physical and mental health as of March 2025, based on testimonies from former hostages and Hamas-released videos. The authors stressed that the available information is only partial and does not fully reflect the extent of suffering and injury endured by the captives.
Also moving is the newly published Haggadah of Freedom, issued by the Hostage and Missing Families Forum. This is the second year the forum has released a special edition of the Passover Haggadah, filled with stories, testimonies, and illustrations conveying the terrible reality and anguish of the families shattered by the massacre of October 7, 2023.
A few words from Liri Elbeg’s touching description of last year’s Seder, which she experienced with Agam Berger while in Hamas captivity: “A few days before the holiday, I took a notebook and pen and improvised a Haggadah. I collected verses from the prayer book we had, drew illustrations, and added Passover songs. On the holiday night, we sat together for a ‘holiday meal,’ leafed through the Haggadah I had made, and read from it. It was a moment of unity and hope between me and Agam. Despite the difficulty, it was important for us to mark the holiday and hold onto the belief that our freedom would come. We hoped that the holiday of freedom would bring the joyful news of our release. We prayed and wished for good. Redemption didn’t come then – but that moment gave us the strength to carry on.”
This week of Passover must become a national event of moral outcry: We will not forget. We will not give up. We will not let go. A nation that gives up on its sons and daughters gives up on itself and on its freedom. The people of Israel have always had a miraculous ability to rise from destruction.
However, faith alone is not enough. Action is required: a coordinated push for real international pressure, tough sanctions on Hamas supporters, and the use of every legitimate lever of power—diplomatic, economic, and military.
This Passover will be a true test of our national resilience. This is not the time for hollow declarations. This is a call to awaken.
This year, we will not settle for saying, “Next year in the rebuilt Jerusalem.”
This year, we demand freedom for the hostages.
The writer is the CEO of Radios 100FM, an honorary consul general, deputy dean of the Consular Corps, president of the Israel Radio Communications Association, and a former NBC television correspondent.