Ba’al Chessed Shai Graucher and members of the Palm Beach shul from Florida met this week with released US-Israeli hostage Keith Siegel, who told them how he connected with Yiddishkeit while he was in captivity, Ynet reported. As YWN reported, Keith’s daughter Shir said last week that her father connected to Yiddishkeit while in captivity through “small tefillos and reciting Borei Minei Mezonos, something he never did before in his life.” Keith explained that he connected to Hashem in captivity by reciting the words Shema Yisrael Hashem Elokeinu Hashem Echad and Baruch Shem Kevod Malchuso L’Olam V’Ed. Graucher responded: “I thought we were coming to give him chizzuk. He’s giving us chizzuk.” At one point, Keith’s wife Aviva, who was in captivity for two months, interjected by tearfully saying that the terrorists tried to force her and her fellow hostages to pray to Allah but she refused to do it. She also wondered aloud how such cruel terrorists could pray. Keith added: “I began saying Hamotzi Lechem Min Ha’aretz before I ate pita,” adding that he didn’t remember any other brachos. “But then I heard on TV someone saying Borei Menei Mezonos so I started saying it.” Watch the video [in English] below: (YWN Israel Desk – Jerusalem)