"They gave us a Siddur," Agam Berger shares shocking testimony on her religious observance in captivity

Throughout her ordeal, Berger found a surprising degree of appreciation from her captors for her religious practices. She describes how, despite the dire circumstances, she was able to observe Jewish holidays, Shabbat, and even fast on Yom Kippur and Tisha B’Av. “I asked for corn flour and the captors brought it to me; in some way, they appreciated me because I am religious,” Berger recalls. She further explained, “Last January, the terrorists gave us a siddur they found in Gaza. They asked us what it was, and then they gave it to us. We used the siddur for the rest of our captivity.”

Berger’s account reveals a surprising contrast: the terrorists, who had been responsible for her captivity, also gave her items found in the Gaza Strip that had been left behind by the Israeli Defense Forces (IDF), such as army dog tags and maps. Although the captors believed these items might be useful to the hostages, Berger clarified, “Of course, we couldn’t help them.”

Her perseverance in maintaining religious practices is striking, particularly considering the challenging conditions. “We observed most of the Jewish holidays in captivity. We had a radio some of the time, and sometimes we would see things on television that helped us understand the date. We also had a Jewish calendar,” Berger shared. Despite being deprived of many luxuries, including observing Hanukkah, she managed to keep Passover and avoid eating chametz. “In a certain way, they valued me more because I was religious,” she noted, despite the captors' hostile views toward Judaism.

Berger also spoke about the intense emotional toll of captivity, particularly regarding the uncertain release of fellow hostages. She recalls how, in the days leading up to her own release, she had no idea that her friends had already been freed. “They didn’t allow us to watch the news in the two weeks before, so we wouldn’t understand that we were being returned home,” Berger explained. She said she had been with Liri Albag from the beginning, and it wasn’t until just before her own release that she learned of Albag’s departure. “I was with Liri since the beginning, and one day before she was released, they told her to go film a video, and she didn’t return,” she remembers.

Finally, the moment of her release was overwhelming. “On Tuesday, an important individual arrived and told me that I was going home, and that my friends were already home,” she recalled. “They prepared me that there would be a lot of people when I was being released, and I saw the girls being released in the video, but I still didn’t believe it would be like that.”

Agam Berger’s testimony highlights her strength, resilience, and unwavering faith during a harrowing period of captivity. Despite the harsh and inhumane conditions, she maintained her religious observance and courage, showcasing an extraordinary display of inner strength.