Before we get to Orit’s message, I would like to share where the connection started.
The feeling of singing “Acheinu” at that Friday night service in March at Croxdale will stay with me forever. It felt as though the words travelled further and deeper than ever before, elevated in a way that I don’t fully understand but can only feel. And I know it wasn’t just me who felt it. I could see it on the faces of those around me. We were all in it together. The power of communal song in that moment was something I have rarely experienced, and it was truly special. I have sung Acheinu many times before, but I believe it was the buildup that set up a spiritual moment which hit so hard. I still feel it in my kishkes just thinking about it.
We had just finished listening to Orit Meir address our community from the pulpit. Orit is the mother of hostage Almog, who was kidnapped by Hamas from Nova on October 7. As she addressed a packed shul, there wasn’t a dry eye in the house. Orit painted a vivid picture of Almog, helping us to see him not as just a hostage number but as a real person with a distinct personality. Her voice cracked numerous times as she tried to get through her words, but the pain of her son being snatched from her world pierced her composure. We lived through every single word. The beautiful Kabbalat Shabbat service concluded with the prayer that calls for the return of those in captivity, followed by Hatikvah (The Hope).
The ‘Shabbat for Israel’ at BES with Orit and her partner, Daniel, was organised by BES in conjunction with the Office of the Chief Rabbi to raise awareness of Almog’s plight and that of the other hostages. Over Shabbat, we also heard Orit speak at Yavneh and bonded with her as a community. When leaving, Orit said that being in our community was “like receiving a warm hug and that it gave her the strength to face the week ahead”.
Following the trip, at Pesach in Israel, Orit invited us to campaign for her son’s release in Hostage Square and to visit the Nova festival site, where Almog had been kidnapped. As helpless as we all felt, we were hoping we were helping in some way, perhaps providing a tiny moment of comfort to a person enduring continuous torture.
It meant that in June, following Almog’s remarkable rescue by the IDF, we celebrated with pure, unbridled joy, knowing just what it meant to one mother desperate to get her son back. There have been rare moments of light in the last 10 months, and this was one of them. I feel lucky as a community that we have been able to connect with that happiness, knowing the mother who was experiencing it.
This summer, we met up with Orit just to catch up and see how her family was starting to recover. We talked about her time in the UK and how much love she felt from our community. We tentatively approached the topic of when would be a good time to visit with Almog.
In response, Orit sent us all at BES this message:
It is truly an honour to be part of our community, where we stand united in our unwavering support for Israel and continue to call for the immediate release of the hostages. I do not take for granted the leadership role that BES has assumed in these efforts. This leadership is a testament to the hard work, dedication, and commitment of so many of you, supported by our exceptional Rabbinic and lay leadership team. Their tireless efforts behind the scenes are what make moments like the one we shared that Friday night possible—one of many that inspire and strengthen us.
We continue to pray for the safe return of the hostages in captivity and send love to the grieving families who have experienced so much heartbreak. As we look forward to embracing Almog and Orit again later this year, we are reminded of the unbreakable bond of love that connects us all.
Am Yisrael Chai.
Eddie and Ronit Tam-Hammerman
