As YWN reported, freed hostage Ohad Ben Ami from Kibbutz Be’eri grew closer to Yiddishkeit during captivity, davening and reciting Kiddush and Havdalah together with other hostages who stemmed from a traditional background. Ohad met with famed Ba’al Chessed Shai Graucher this week and explained how emunah helped his survive his long ordeal in captivity, saying: “During my entire captivity, I mamash felt that there was Someone above watching over me and I need to be strong.” He also asked Graucher to teach him to make Havdalah since he recited Havdalah every week in Gaza. When Graucher asked him for a message to Am Yisrael, Ohad, while wearing Tefillin, said: “Our nation is very strong and what unites us is emunah. And at least for me personally, emunah is what strengthened me and saved me, and thanks to Hashem, I’m here after returning from captivity. Apparently, I have several things to repair but this only strengthens me. Our emunah is what unites us and it’s what gives us koach during our lowest moments, in our most broken state.  Emunah is what causes us to overcome unbearable difficulties and become even stronger. We should continue to fight until the last hostage comes home, b’ezrat Hashem.” (YWN Israel Desk – Jerusalem)