In a touching development from Israel's ultra-Orthodox community, Rebbetzin Adina Lando, wife of prominent Lithuanian Jewish leader Rabbi Dov Lando, has written an emotional letter to recently released Hamas hostage Romi Gonen and her mother Meirav.
Romi was kidnapped from the Nova music festival as she tried to feel Hamas terrorists on October 7th, and was one of the first three hostages returned to Israel in the latest hostage deal.
The Leshem-Gonen family had visited Rabbi Lando's residence several times during the war, with Meirav engaging in lengthy conversations with Rebbetzin Lando. The Rebbetzin, herself a Holocaust survivor, had taken a particular interest in the hostages' plight, offering prayers and support to their families.
Following Romi's release from captivity and subsequent discharge from hospital, her father visited the Rebbetzin alongside religious affairs journalist Israel Cohen. During the emotional meeting, the Rebbetzin presented a letter and Book of Psalms for Romi.
"Dear Romi, immense joy overcame us," the Rebbetzin wrote. "We received news of the great miracle of your release from harsh captivity with great emotion. The entire Jewish people - children, young men, women - all prayed for you. Your remarkable strength to endure hardship, a long period without seeing light, testifies to your special inner character and faith."
The Rebbetzin praised Meirav's unwavering hope throughout the ordeal, writing that both mother and daughter now have "a mission to publicize God's miracles and sanctify His name in the world."
During the visit, Romi's father shared how the ultra-Orthodox community knows the hostages by their and their mothers' names, in contrast to the secular public who recognizes them from photographs. The Rebbetzin's daughter noted how she and her schoolchildren continue to pray daily for the remaining hostages, maintaining a list of their names and their mothers' names.
The Rebbetzin, who escaped the Nazis during World War II, described the current hostage situation as "worse than the Nazis" and emphasized that she "cannot remember such a disaster." She concluded the meeting by blessing Romi with a complete physical and emotional recovery, adding a prayer that she should marry soon.
Kikar HaShabbat contributed to this article.
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