I found people far from Yiddishkeit who, in their anguish, had rediscovered their Father in Heaven

Uri Chanan, my chavrusa. He had his first conversation with Hashem while hiding in a ditch (Photo: Kesher Yehudi)

On Simchas Torah 2023, the illusion of control was shattered and a wave of emunah swept across the land, as Jews all over began to reconnect with their core identity. And then, Hashem drew me into the saga as well, allowing me to stand alongside survivors and hostage families in their darkest hours. Then came the book — not a rehashing of the news, but a story that will be etched in the gold letters of Jewish history, deepening the bonds that connect us to one another and to our Father in Heaven.

With the release of the remaining hostages, many of the stories have since had a happy ending, while others have had tragic closure. Either way, it’s my privilege to continue to share them with you.

I met Nir Shani in what remained of his home in Kibbutz Be’eri, the parts that weren’t consumed by fire or had melted into unrecognizable globs.

It was four months after the massacre when Nir took me around the neighborhood. Together, we entered the home of his neighbors Hy”d, and Nir described how they had been murdered. The family had fled their home, only to be gunned down by the terrorists outside, who then stormed and looted the house, smashed everything in sight, and set it on fire.

That’s more or less what Be’eri looked like: burnt houses, collapsed roofs. Only the succahs of the few traditional families remained standing. I can’t say whether it was a miracle or a sign of some sort, but as the Jewish People have witnessed throughout the ages, material possessions can be destroyed, but spiritual acquisitions remain untouchable.

Nir’s own house looked like a scene out of a horror film, scorched and frightening.

“And where were you?” I asked.

He led me to a room with clean white walls and said, “Right here. This was the saferoom.”

The terrorists spent a long time trying to force open the door, while Nir held the handle tightly from inside. Then they cut the power from outside, plunging him into complete darkness. Their next move was to set the house on fire and force smoke into the room through the air vents.

Everything unfolded in waves, because the terrorists didn’t know what to do with their time. In Israel, people were asking: Where is the army? Where is the Air Force? Where are the security forces? The Hamas terrorists were asking themselves the very same questions. In the scenario they had prepared for, they had no more than ten minutes on the kibbutz before Israeli forces arrived.