“We face the abyss and we stand tall. I don’t know how I will sit at the Passover table this year.”
Sharone Lifschitz made those comments when we met last Friday at the Hostage Family Forum HQ in central Tel Aviv. Her 83-year old father, Oded, remains in Hamas captivity. His wife and Sharone’s mother, 85-year-old Yocheved, was released from a Hamas dungeon on Monday, October 23. Sharone talks about the horror she has inhabited since October 7th, when she learned of the Hamas attack while driving with her family in the UK, where she resides, to bring home a new puppy. In an instant she entered a life that no one can imagine and that continues to this day. We speak about her parents, the larger community, and what it means to be Israeli and Jewish in this moment. Throughout, we refer to this Passover week, when Jewish people traditionally gather to celebrate freedom. It is a time of joy, when we remember our historic roots as slaves in Egypt and the exhilaration of liberation. This year, of course, such matters are painfully poignant and all too real. Listen to Sharone. She will enlighten and enhance your perspective, whether or not you mark Passover. Whatever faith you follow. Atheist. This is about honoring life and decency.
S2 E25. Passover 2024: How One Hostage Family Will Mark the “Holiday”