On Friday, May 23, SAR hosted Omer Shem Tov, a hostage of Hamas held in Gaza for 505 days, at the academy’s signature “Ceremony on the Steps.”
SAR Principal Rabbi Binyamin Krauss began, “We hope this brief visit will give you strength. On this holy mission that you are on, there’s nothing that we want more than to gather with you and your loved ones here.”
Leat Unger, Shem Tov’s cousin, stated, “I’ve had the unlucky privilege to travel, speak and pray in lots of different places. To me, today was probably the most special. … I want to ask one thing from all of you guys: continue praying for the hostages, because I believe Hashem listens to children’s prayers the most. You guys are the purest, and what you’re doing here in this school is following and learning Torah and mitzvot. When you put your kavana into your tefilot, Hashem will grant your prayers.” The students recited the bracha Matir Asurim together. Rep. Ritchie Torres delivered the prayer for the hostages.
Shem Tov began, “Excuse me for being emotional. I can see in your eyes how you prayed and how proud you are to be Jewish. May Hashem bless you.
“I was kidnapped by Hamas on October 7 and held in captivity for 505 days,” he said. “In that time, I’ve been through hell. Many times, they tried to keep me away from who I am, from Judaism, but my faith in Hashem never stopped. Every day, it grew stronger and stronger. Baruch Hashem, I came back home because of your prayers; thank you. It warms my heart. Keep praying for all the other hostages. They all deserve to be home. They are our brothers and sisters. I love you all so much.”
Omer’s mother, Shelly Shem Tov, expressed, “From the beginning when Omer was kidnapped, I felt the love and prayers from Israel and all over the world. I understand what the meaning is to be a Jew; no matter where you are, you feel connected by the soul. We are one soul. If somebody is in pain, we feel this pain. Every prayer that you are praying, I always said you are sending an angel to the hostage, to the soldier. Keep praying and thank you for all you did and are doing. You have a very big part of the history of Am Israel. We are writing the history of us. No matter how much they want to destroy us, we are strong because we are together. Am Yisrael Chai.”
Visiting SAR High School, he presented more details of his captivity. At first, Nova’s festival goers weren’t concerned. Missile attacks were common close to Gaza. He described trying to escape but was taken hostage to Gaza, where he spent 450 days in tunnels in very small, totally dark spaces. He could only use a flashlight a few hours a day. “That time was a living hell for me.” Shem Tov thought he had gone blind. There was minimal food.
“I was at the lowest point, but faith in Hashem was strongest. Whenever I woke up. I said Modeh Ani, I had a dialogue with Hashem. Everyone asks for stuff from Hashem. No one asks how does he feel, or how is his day? So, I started asking him, ‘Hashem, how are you? How was your day? How do you feel?’ Then I would say ‘thank you.’ Thank you for the air in my lungs, the small amounts of food on my plate, for my family that are home safe, for everything I have and everything I don’t have. Then I asked for anything I needed, to put me on the right path, help me get back home and give strength to my family. My faith in Hashem became very strong every day. I felt the prayers and love from Israel. I was far away, in a dark place, but the light never blew out for me.”
Shem Tov described the relationship with his captors, even learning Arabic. For 400 days underground, he cleaned, cooked and did work for them. He explained, “Once the ceasefire began, they wanted me to look better when I went out. They gave me crazy amounts of food.” He lost 33 pounds in captivity. On the day of his release, he was told to wear a soldier’s uniform and was paraded before a crowd.
He concluded, “Since then, I have a mission to bring back all 58 remaining hostages that are going through hell. Thank you for doing everything you can to help this mission come true. Keep praying. Keep believing in Hashem, because Hashem is great. It puts you on your path for a reason. Everything is for a reason. Believe in Hashem.”
Judy Berger is The Jewish Link Bronx, Westchester and Connecticut community editor.
