JNS
After meeting freed hostages and families of hostages still in captivity, a delegation of Holocaust survivors urges immediate action.
On August 5, the International March of the Living organized a special visit of Holocaust survivors from across Israel who had participated in April's March of the Living to Hostages Square in Tel Aviv, where they met freed hostages and representatives of the families of hostages, offering strength and solidarity.
The emotional meeting took place just days after the harrowing videos of hostages Evyatar David and Rom Braslavski were released, showing them emaciated and in severe physical and emotional distress. Since the footage surfaced, many Holocaust survivors have reported being deeply shaken, both physically and psychologically.
Attending the meeting were freed hostages Yocheved Lifshitz and Danielle Aloni; Yocheved’s granddaughter Danielle Lifshitz; Gilad and Nitza Korengold, the parents of released hostage Tal Shoham, along with their daughter-in-law Adi and grandchildren Yahel and Naveh; Danny Miran, father of hostage Omri Miran, and Omri’s sister Naama; Doron Zaxer, the adoptive father of Idan Alexander; and Michel Illouz, father of Guy Illouz, who is classified as a fallen hostage.
Holocaust survivor Arne Rabuchin read out the following statement: "When we, Holocaust survivors, saw the images of Rom Braslavski and Evyatar David—emaciated, frightened, barely clinging to life—we felt as if the air had been pulled from our lungs. It transported us back 80 years to the moment we were liberated from Nazi tyranny. We survived the Holocaust. We saw the world at its most cruel and inhumane. And now, we cannot stay silent while Jewish lives are again being held in cages of terror, starved, humiliated and abandoned to suffering."
"As Holocaust survivors, we carry a moral responsibility. We are not only witnesses to the past, but also guardians of its lessons. We know what happens when the world looks away. We know what it means to be left waiting in the dark, not knowing if anyone is coming to save you," he said. "That is why we are here today—not just as survivors, but as a voice for the hostages who cannot speak. We say to the leaders of Israel, to world powers, to all people of conscience: Do not rest. Do not wait. Do not allow hesitation to cost more lives."
Rabuchin concluded with an appeal. "Bring the hostages home. Now. Every single one. Bring them home with the same urgency you would demand for your own child, your own brother, your own mother. They are human beings. And their time is running out.”
Naftali Furst, 94, who survived four concentration camps, including Auschwitz, said: “I came here with the strength to support the families whose children are still in the horror of Gaza’s underground. Without hope, we would not have survived.”
Former hostage Yocheved Lifshitz expressed her gratitude to everyone who had come to Hostages Square.
“I am a survivor of the tunnels, and I came back from there. I thought a lot about your strength and ability to endure," she said. "You were children. I was already here in Israel. I was born here, and aside from my parents, my entire family was destroyed. On Friday, when I saw the images of those children who haven’t eaten, I felt myself being pulled back into the tunnels. I feel what they are feeling. I am proud to see you all here. I thank everyone who came.”
Revital Yakin Krakovsky, deputy CEO of March of the Living, said: “Since the release of the images of Rom and Evyatar, Holocaust survivors have been deeply distressed. The trauma they endured as terrified, hungry, and helpless children has come rushing back in an instant. They are heartbroken and outraged that not everything is being done to bring the hostages home. Listen to them. Bring the hostages back before it’s too late. The survivors came to Hostages Square today to offer strength to the families and to remind them: You are not alone.”
