On Wednesday, Bruriah had the extraordinary honor to host Einav Danino, mother of hostage Uri Danino HY”D, who was tragically murdered in Gaza this past September. Mrs. Danino has made it her mission to spread the or of Ori, who amidst unfathomable challenges remained a source of light.

Mrs. Danino described Ori’s incredible heroism when, after escaping the Nova festival, he returned to help rescue his friends. It was during this act of courage that he was taken hostage and held in Gaza for 11 months before his tragic death. Despite the overwhelming darkness of his captivity, with little food, light or water, Ori and his fellow hostages remained a unified group, supporting and caring for each other until their final moments. Mrs. Danino reminded the audience that we, unlike Ori, who enjoy every material comfort, should never take our achdut for granted. She encouraged us to always be mindful of how we can make a difference in someone’s day, with a smile, compliment or gesture.

Mrs. Danino also spoke about her experiences as the mother of a hostage, and the myriad of reasons she found to thank Hashem in the darkest moments. One such moment occurred when, upon seeing her son’s car at the site of the Nova festival—covered in bullet holes but miraculously not burned beyond recognition—she found herself reciting Nishmat.

At the close of her address, Mrs. Danino led the students with the recitation of “L’David Hashem Ori,” a perek of tehillim she has said every day for 25 years. In light of recent events, this perek holds a deep personal significance to her. It speaks of the challenges faced by Ori and others like him, while also reminding us to “kavei el Hashem”—to place our hope and trust in Hashem. She ended with a heartfelt bracha to the audience, that we should always thank Hashem from a place of simcha, not sadness, and to strive to bring Ori’s light into this world.