At an emotional event held by the Israeli Consulate in New York, former hostage Agam Berger took the stage before over a thousand attendees, delivering a powerful message about faith, identity, and resilience.
“I sacrificed myself in captivity to preserve who I am, and I never gave up my Jewish identity,” Berger declared. “In the final week before I was released, I was left completely alone. But I only grew stronger in my faith – because that’s what the Jewish people are. ‘And the more they were oppressed, the more they multiplied and spread.’ That is the spiritual strength of Am Yisrael. We possess an inner power not just to survive, but to thrive – especially in the face of persecution. They kidnapped me because I am a Jew. I gave everything to hold onto my essence, and I never let go of my Judaism. My freedom of choice cannot be taken – and neither can my Judaism.”
Berger recounted the terrifying moments of her abduction. “When the terrorists stormed the shelter, I whispered over and over the story of my life: ‘Shema Yisrael Hashem Elokeinu Hashem Echad.’ I fasted on every fast day while in captivity – Yom Kippur, Tisha B’Av, Ta’anis Esther – even when it wasn’t clear when the next meal would come. I refused to cook for my captors on Shabbos, and I wouldn’t eat meat because of kashrus. When I realized Pesach had arrived, I refused to eat chametz – even though pita was the main food. Saying tefillos each day is what kept me going and protected me.”
She described moments when they were able to listen to the radio and follow the Jewish calendar. “It was important for us to mark the holidays. We knew when Yom HaZikaron for IDF soldiers and victims of terror came. We lit a candle and stood for a minute of silence to honor our heroes who gave their lives for us. We sang Hatikvah. We hoped you were doing everything possible so that the line in the song ‘To be a free people in our land’ would be fulfilled – and that you would do everything for us.”
Berger issued a heartfelt plea to bring back the hostages still held by Hamas. “I will not rest, and I will not be silent until every last one of our captives returns to the holy land – to the country we built together to protect every Jew, no matter where they are. We have a right to live in this land – but we cannot move forward unless we bring all our hostages home. A Jew is a messenger of hope – so be those messengers of hope for our hostages.”
Consul General Ofir Akunis also spoke at the event, declaring: “We are committed to bringing every hostage home and defeating Hamas. To our enemies we say: You are failing – we are winning. We will never abandon our land or our capital, Yerushalayim.”
{Matzav.com}