“The word happiness has taken on new dimensions,” said Shelly Shem Tov, the mother of freed hostage Omer in an interview with Kol B’Ramah on Monday morning. “I gave birth to a child anew… to see him smiling. Omer is with us and he is safe. We are full of gratitude to the Borei Olam. For 500 days, I recited Mizmor L’Todah next to a Sefer Torah as if he already returned and now he’s back.” Shelly mentioned the now well-known story of Omer making Kiddush in captivity, using a small bottle of  grape juice he received and salt he removed from pretzels for Hamotzi and a piece of toilet paper as a kippa. “He told me he felt it was like the neis of pach hashemen, that the small bottle of grape juice lasted for half a year in Hamas captivity.” She thanked Rebbetzin Margalit Peretz and the Kesher Yehudi organization that connected her to Yiddishkeit. “I was her study partner, and thanks to her I began to be Shomer Shabbos and we connected to the Chareidi sector. We are all brothers and this unity has brought the yeshuah. People sent me messages that their children davened for Omer, and I am positive it helped. We need to focus on connection and not division.” Shelly added: “I am traveling with Omer to meet President Trump. I will tell him that the mission is not complete. We are fighting until the last hostage – the living for rehabilitation and the dead for kevurah – and I’ll ask him to continue supporting Am Yisrael and help us with this. We need everyone home.” (YWN Israel Desk – Jerusalem)