Some of the released hostages have given insights into their time as prisoners in Gaza.
One always needs to keep in mind that not all things Israeli are Jewish, and not all things Jewish are Israeli. Israel has around 10 million citizens. It’s about 80% Jewish; from its founding days, David Ben-Gurion and his comrades strongly encouraged Arabs who were being told to leave the fledgling Jewish state to stay put and make Israel their home. Most Israelis are not outwardly religious, though many people will keep some aspects of the faith, such as kosher food and/or some level of Sabbath observance. The religious groups are growing quickly, and one sees more frequently orthodox or ultraorthodox bus drivers, doctors, bank tellers, programmers, and the like. There can be tension between the religious and non-religious, and today, the subject of mandatory army service for ultra-orthodox young men is front and center for the government. It has been said that if all of the Arab countries made peace with Israel, then the locals would go at each other, religious versus non-religious.
A very interesting phenomenon, which is not really a big surprise, concerns Israelis who go to live in the United States. Lots have moved there and love their lives in their adopted homeland. Many of those who moved were not religious when they were in Israel, but being in a much bigger country with a vastly smaller Jewish population, they felt a need to connect with their religion. Two of our boys spent three months each, one in LA and the other in Las Vegas, working with local rabbis whose congregations are composed of such Americanized Israelis. It is not unusual to see a guy with tattoos (which are forbidden by Jewish law) now praying daily and having a completely kosher home. I have enjoyed our visits to these communities because one feels a little bit of Israel while enjoying the beauty and wonders of the United States.
Some of the recently returned Israeli hostages have made public comments about their time in Hamas captivity. Certain themes have been consistent in their descriptions: beatings, hunger, threats, being moved around between Palestinian families, and psychological abuse. One thread that has been common in several stories has been an attachment to Judaism. Already during the actual Hamas attack, several people who survived the onslaught said that they regurgitated whatever Jewish things they knew: a chapter of Psalms they remembered by heart, the “Shema prayer” that traditional Jews say twice a day or promises to keep the Sabbath. Some said that they repeated these words over and over until they were safely out of Hamas’ hands. Similarly, several hostages said they began praying, saying blessings, or doing their best to eat only kosher food. One said she insisted on keeping the Sabbath in captivity, though she had not done so previously. Last week, one returned woman said that she sang a traditional Sabbath song in Arabic so that her captors would not know that she was engaged in a religious act.
Another feature expressed by several of the returned captives revolves around the Koran. The returning Israelis said that their captors, on several occasions, tried to interest them in learning from the Koran, and in all cases, the Israelis refused. One could argue that the brutalized victims could tie everything that they and their loved ones experienced from October 7th as being a product of the Koran and Islamic teachings: why would they want to join that? But one could also say that with their existence pushed to the outer limits, they grabbed onto their long-dormant Jewish identity and used it to keep sane. Bill Shatner once told a story on the Tonight Show about Vietnam POWs he met. They said to him that they acted out various episodes of Star Trek to get them through their brutal stay as prisoners. The daughter of one released captive told that her father started to make blessings over food, something that he had never done before his capture. Others made similar observations of their returned loved ones keeping the Sabbath or saying daily prayers.
There is an old adage: there are no atheists in a foxhole. When push comes to shove, people must have something to hold on to. Religion and God can be the one thing that can keep them sane and give them hope that they will live to see a better day. One never wishes to go through difficult or horrible experiences, and hundreds of days with psychotic lunatics fall into such a category. One released captive said that a terrorist began to kick him and broke several of his ribs. Why the new treatment after he was already shackled by his feet? The IDF had blown up his family’s house and apparently the family as well. The captive said that he could not breathe and his captors refused to help him medically. Another hostage had some aspirin, which he was hiding, and gave it to his wounded comrade.
While the second intifada involved thousands of separate attacks, some stand out in Israeli memory. The Park Hotel bombing on Passover night had 30 killed. The Moment Cafe attack occurred around the corner from the prime minister’s residence. One major attack involved the Number 2 Bus. Many Jews pray at the Western Wall on the Sabbath. When the Sabbath ends, they want to go home, and they do not have any money on them due to a prohibition of handling money on the Sabbath. So, the local bus company, Egged, would take people from the Western Wall for the first hour for free. One Saturday night, the bus was packed with orthodox and ultraorthodox Jews. One person dressed that way was a suicide bomber from Hebron. He detonated his charge and killed and maimed dozens. A few days after the attack, Knesset members from the anti-religious “Shinui” party went to visit the wounded, the majority of whom were religious. I saw pictures of the interactions and wondered if we could get to such a level of care and concern about each other without explosions, death, and destruction. I am happy for every captive who comes home, and I hope we all find meaning in life the easy way and not the hard.