Russian President Vladimir Putin met with former Israeli hostages Alexander "Sasha" Troufanov, and his mother, Yelena, at the Kremlin on Wednesday. Both are Russian nationals.

Also present at the meeting was Sasha's fiancée, Sapir Cohen, 29, and Chief Rabbi of Russia Berel Lazar.

Troufanov was abducted along with his mother, grandmother and fiancée, from Kibbutz Nir Oz on Oct. 7, 2023, the day of the terror group's invasion of southern Israel.

His mother and grandmother were freed by Hamas on Nov. 29, 2023, at the request of Putin, while Cohen was released as part of a ceasefire deal that same month. Troufanov’s father, Vitaly, was killed during the Oct. 7 massacre.

The family had immigrated to Israel some 25 years ago.

Troufanov had been held by the Palestinian Islamic Jihad terrorist organization. He was released on Feb. 15 together with American-Israeli Sagui Dekel-Chen, 36, and Argentine-Israeli Iair Horn, 46, who were captives of Hamas.

Putin asked Troufanov how many days he had been held captive. He replied that he had been a hostage for 498 days.

"The fact that you are now free is a result of Russia's many years of stable relations with the Palestinian people, with the representatives of different organizations," Putin told Troufanov, according to Russian news agencies.

Putin thanked Hamas for Troufanov's release, stating: "Here we have to offer a word of gratitude to the leadership and to the political wing of Hamas for a gesture made to us in carrying out this humanitarian act.

"Thank God you are safe and sound, and here. Right now, I’m not going to give any political assessments on the current developments. But everything that has happened to you is a tragedy."

Russia-Israel relations deteriorated following the Oct. 7 attack. Russia angered Israel when it invited Hamas representatives to visit Moscow on Oct. 26, shortly after the Oct. 7 attack. Israel called it “an act of support of terrorism.”

On Nov. 2, 2023, the Russian ambassador to the United Nations, Vasily Nebenzia, declared in a speech to the U.N. General Assembly that “Israel has no right to defend itself.”

On Dec. 10, 2023, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu held a tense phone conversation with Putin.

During the call, Netanyahu expressed “dismay” about the recent anti-Israel positions taken by Russian representatives at the United Nations and other international fora, according to the Prime Minister’s Office.

Netanyahu said he emphasized that “any country that would suffer a criminal terrorist attack such as Israel experienced would act with no less force than the one with which Israel operates.”

The Israeli leader also strongly criticized the Kremlin’s “dangerous” cooperation with the Iranian regime.

Israel’s military campaign against Hamas has triggered a major financial crisis for the terrorist group, which is now struggling to pay its gunmen, according to a report on Wednesday.

Moumen al-Natour, a lawyer from the Al-Shati area in central Gaza, told The Wall Street Journal that Hamas has “a big crisis” on its hands. “They were mainly dependent on humanitarian aid sold in black markets for cash,” he said.

The group also imposed taxes on merchants, collected customs fees at checkpoints and seized goods for resale, according to the Journal.

Many Hamas government workers have stopped receiving salaries altogether, according to the report. Since last month, senior operatives and political figures have reportedly been paid only about half of their usual income, while lower-ranking terrorists are said to be getting just $200 to $300 per month.

A temporary financial boost occurred during a ceasefire in January, which allowed increased aid to enter Gaza. However, when the truce ended in March, Israel resumed its military campaign and halted aid deliveries, worsening Hamas’s financial condition, according to the Journal.

The report also noted that Israeli airstrikes have focused on Hamas officials who handle cash distribution, forcing some into hiding.

Beyond payroll issues, Hamas is said to be struggling with recruitment and maintaining public support. Some residents in Gaza have been protesting against the group.

Israel may broaden its restrictions to include not only aid that could be used militarily, but also goods of significant economic value to Hamas, the Journal reported, citing unnamed officials.

Hamas is believed to have stashed around $500 million overseas, including funds from Qatar, according to Western and Arab estimates cited by the Journal. Gaza faces a shortage of physical currency. Israel’s central bank has stopped delivering fresh bills, and numerous banks and ATMs have been destroyed. In response, Palestinians have turned to “money repair shops” to mend damaged currency, the Journal reported.

The exact amount of cash still in circulation in Gaza remains unclear. One analyst told the Journal there could be as much as $3 billion.

Israeli Defense Minister Israel Katz said Wednesday that humanitarian aid would eventually resume, but only through “civilian companies,” in order to prevent Hamas from accessing the supplies. Israel’s strategy, he said, is focused on “stopping humanitarian aid, which undermines Hamas’s control over the population.”

Efforts to negotiate a new ceasefire, which would include a hostage release, have so far failed. Israel remains committed to its military campaign until Hamas is defeated, while Hamas continues to demand a full end to the war.

In a year when little has felt normal, the delivery of matzah and other Passover necessities to the farthest reaches of the soldiers protecting the Jewish homeland has become a minor miracle.

Across Israel, as the Jewish world prepared to celebrate Passover, the IDF Rabbinate completed one of its most ambitious logistical operations. The numbers are staggering: more than ten tons of matzah, 7,000 personal Seder kits, 5,000 hand-baked matzah sets, and tens of thousands of Haggadot were distributed to units spanning from the Negev to the Galilee—and into active combat zones, including in Syria.

But behind every cardboard box and sealed plastic cup of grape juice is something more intimate: a desperate effort to preserve normalcy and tradition in a time of uncertainty and grief. It is important to give basic holiday supplies to every soldier, no matter where they are, and to ensure they don’t feel forgotten.

Coordinating this delivery isn’t just an act of faith—it’s a wartime feat of logistics. Trucks had to be routed through military zones. Supplies had to be koshered and certified under high-pressure timelines. Whether the kits were destined for some individuals in isolated outposts or others intended for battalions running full communal Seders, everything had to be planned to perfection.

The army had to think of Gaza, Syria, the north and Judea and Samaria. It had to plan for soldiers deep in enemy territory, and who wouldn’t have received these kits until just before before the holiday began.

Reuven Marriott, a British-born reservist who has spent time stationed across nearly every front—Gaza, Judea and Samaria, Lebanon—has seen the evolution firsthand.

“Compared to pre-war years, the Rabbanut’s output in 2023 was already impressive. But now? It’s on a completely different scale," he tells JNS. "Hundreds of thousands of soldiers are away from their homes this year. It’s not a normal Pesach.”

Personal moments amid national struggle

Max, another reservist, recalls his early days in basic training and how something as simple as a care package left a lasting impression.

“It was really meaningful,” says Max. “I always thought it was cool and sweet to get a note tucked in with the matzah or the Haggadah. I sometimes keep those little messages in my gear, especially during tough weeks. They remind me why I’m here.”

That emotional lift—what Max calls a “breath of sanity”—comes not just from the ritual objects but from the sense of being remembered.

“The amount of gratitude that someone from the other side of the world—a fellow Jew—cares about you, writes to you, thinks about you... It gives you purpose,” says Max.

He should know. Between his various call-ups, Marriott has now served more 370 days of reserve duty. “If we don’t protect ourselves, no one else will," he says. "I’ve got so much pride in what we’re doing. I couldn’t live with myself if I stayed back and didn’t try to make a difference. On the bright side, I have a great responsibility. I’m here protecting Am Yisrael [the nation of Israel]."

A seder in Syria, a blessing in Gaza

This year, the operation extended even to Syria. “We’ve sent a rabbi up to the paratroopers stationed there,” says South African-born Rabbi Shalom Myers of the Emek Lone Soldiers organization. “A lot of lone soldiers are there and they weren’t given great provisions for Pesach. We pooled some funds, a few thousand shekels, and we’re making sure they get what they need.”

The mission involves a staff sergeant major collecting supplies in Haifa and delivering them just in time, barely a day before the Seder. “The human interest stories will only really emerge afterward,” he adds. “But trust me, they’re there.”

Rabbi Myers’ wife, Lynne, has taken on her own kind of spiritual logistics. Formerly an architect, she now runs events for female soldiers—hafrashat challah, dancing, gifts, and emotional support.

“We bring religious Anglo women to give them chizzuk [strength],” he says. “It’s not about making them more religious. It’s about making them feel seen.”

Caring for lone soldiers

This year’s campaign also turned its focus to Israel’s lone soldiers—those serving without family in the country. Many stay on after their service, becoming quiet heroes of Israeli society.

“We hosted a couple of lone soldiers the day before Pesach,” Myers says. “Constant care and concern—that’s what they need. One of the guys I know from New York is in the paratroopers. There are always little things we are trying to do to help him.”

Emek Lone Soldiers, a Jerusalem-based initiative that began eight years ago, has become a backbone of support for young men and women whose families are abroad. With limited funds and an outsized mission, it helps make sure no one celebrates alone.

Faith under fire

For many soldiers, the halachic details of the holiday must adapt to reality.

“I’m dati leumi [a religious Zionist],” Marriott explains. “I don’t care—if you’re in war, it’s kosher. You keep halacha to the best of your ability. When you’re in Gaza, you fight. That itself is a mitzvah, and it overrides other considerations.”

Still, there’s time for tradition. The same Haggadah that Rabbi Myers was given some 50 years ago in the Jordan Valley—when he was serving as a young soldier serving in the IDF—was in his hands again this year. “That connection, it never left me," he observes.

And while some moments sting—like last year’s Seder, when Marriott and others felt a little forgotten in a quieter, low-priority deployment—this year feels different. “Now, we’re all aware of what’s at stake," he says. "Ramadan and Pesach intersected again and this time, the IDF paid attention.”

Egypt still with us

“B’chol dor v’dor,” Rabbi Myers says, quoting the line in the Hagaddah entreating every Jew in every generation to imagine leaving Egypt during the Exodus.

“If we thought things were rosy, we were wrong," he says. "These guys are still fighting. Egypt? It’s still there. But they’re doing this battle—they’re fighting for the freedom of us all.”

From lone soldiers in Syria to reservists in Gaza, from matzah shipments in the Galilee—this Passover, the IDF Rabbinate didn’t just deliver tradition. It delivered purpose. And in a year marked by grief, displacement and war, that may be the most sacred offering of all.

US Ambassador-designate Mike Huckabee arrived in Israel on Thursday, and will officially take up his position in Jerusalem next week.

The former Arkansas governor landed in Israel toward the end of the week-long Passover holiday and ahead of Easter Sunday after being confirmed by the U.S. Senate last week. He will present his credentials to Israel President Isaac Herzog on Monday at an official ceremony in Jerusalem. 

“We are on our way to Israel,” Huckabee tweeted on Wednesday, ahead of the transatlantic flight with his wife Janet and their two dogs. “Our dogs have no idea how long this flight is going to be so don’t tell them.  This is not a trip but a complete move.”

The 69-year-old conservative evangelical pastor, TV host and two-time Republican presidential candidate has visited the Holy Land scores of times, and led thousands of participants on solidarity tours over the past half-century since his first trip to Israel right out of high school, just before the 1973 Yom Kippur war.

A long-time champion of Israel’s cause, he has been a staunch supporter of Israel’s rights to the biblical heartland of Judea and Samaria, the relocation of the U.S. embassy to Jerusalem, and has worked to fight the BDS movement.

The U.S. Senate voted 53-46 last week to confirm Huckabee as U.S. ambassador to Israel, with Sen. John Fetterman (D-Pa.) being the lone Democrat to back Huckabee for the high-profile posting amid the war in Gaza and regional turmoil.

The U.S. envoy told FOX News after his nomination was approved that the first thing he was going to do in Israel was take a prayer given to him by U.S. President Donald Trump in a recent meeting and place it in the Western Wall on behalf of the American people.

U.S. Special Presidential Envoy for Hostage Affairs Adam Boehler said on Wednesday that there was no "day after" discussion with regard to the Gaza Strip until all the hostages being held there are freed.

According to U.S. President Donald Trump, "nothing goes forward until all hostages are released," Boehler told Al Jazeera. "Step one is all hostages released. Step two is, let's figure out this day after," he continued.

"I think there's always a possibility for a comprehensive deal," Boehler said, adding, "I don't think Israel is interested in staying for the long term."

Trump has proposed relocating those Gazans who want to leave to safer areas while the enclave, which has suffered extensive damage due to the Israel Hamas war, is rebuilt.

"What's very important now is to ... bring back all hostages, all innocent hostages, and then we can talk about the makings of the deal ... Hamas needs to release the hostages ... They should release the hostages unilaterally," said Boehler.

"The hostages are what keep things from moving forward. We need them home. You can't deal with people that hold innocent people as hostages," he added.

"I can tell you that the fighting would end immediately, immediately, if the hostages are released. The day that those hostages are released, the fighting will end," he continued.

Hamas should identify an offer that Israel and the United States can accept "and end this," he added.

Commenting on Hamas's claim that it has lost track of hostage Edan Alexander, a dual U.S.-Israeli citizen, due to an Israeli bombing sortie, Boehler said if anything happened to Alexander, the blame would fall on Hamas.

"If Edan gets sick, if Edan has a cold, guess who's getting blamed— Hamas. I think the best thing for them is not to ... risk blame from the United States on these things. So I hope no hair on his head is hurt, or we're going to come for them, and it's not going to be pretty. So I believe that Edan is fine," he said.

Of those hostages who may have died due to Israeli airstrikes, he said, "I'm not sure I would blame Israeli bombardment for that. I would blame the fact that they're hostages in the first place."

In mid-March, Boehler's direct talks with Hamas resulted in tensions with Israel. According to reports, the Trump administration removed him from the hostage team after he referred to Hamas as “nice guys” and said during an interview that he didn’t “really care about” the concerns of Ron Dermer, Israel’s strategic affairs minister. He also said that the United States was “not an agent of Israel.”

After immediate backlash, he clarified his remarks on social media, claiming that people “misinterpreted” them.

“Hamas is a terrorist organization that has murdered thousands of innocent people,” he wrote. “They are, by definition, bad people.”

In a Wall Street Journal op-ed dated April 14, former U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry discusses what a good deal between the United States and Iran will look like if Iran is willing to reach an agreement with President Donald Trump.

Kerry’s hypothetical new Iran deal bears no resemblance to the disaster that he and then-President Barack Obama forced down the throats of Americans in 2015, despite overwhelming bipartisan opposition.

“Mr. Trump can seek an agreement that prevents Iran from ever possessing a potentially lethal nuclear program,” Kerry says in the op-ed, co-written by Thomas S. Kaplan, CEO of the Electrum Group. “First, he should prohibit uranium enrichment above the threshold for civilian use and require an end to hardened or buried nuclear sites. A strict cap on the amount of fissile material in Iran’s possession, coupled with a comprehensive inspections regime to ensure compliance, would be a mandatory corollary.”

The piece continues, saying “Tehran must also agree to stringent circumscription of its ballistic-missile program and outright termination of sponsorship of proxies and terrorism.”

Did this just dawn on Kerry? Is this the advice of a wise elder? These are the terms Obama and Kerry should have but failed to demand when the Iran nuclear deal, also known as the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA), was agreed to in 2015. In other words, these are the ravings of an old fool hoping to salvage his legacy. Too late for that.

Though it may have taken Kerry a decade to figure these things out, observers from across the political spectrum and around the world criticized the Obama-Kerry Iran nuclear deal precisely because it failed to adequately address any of the issues that Kerry now considers so crucial. In fact, the Obama-Kerry deal achieved the exact opposite.

Rather than prevent Iran from “ever possessing a potentially lethal nuclear weapon,” the agreement created a legal path for Iran to obtain and possess a nuclear weapon. When Obama became president in 2009, U.N. resolutions prohibited the Islamic Republic from enriching any uranium. Undaunted, Obama worked diligently to lift those restrictions. Incredibly, the Obama-Kerry nuclear deal allowed for unlimited Iranian uranium enrichment from 2030 onward.

Kerry’s op-ed trumpets his new insistence that limitations on Iran’s uranium enrichment must be “coupled with a comprehensive inspections regime to ensure compliance.” His assertion is as cynical as it is laughable.

Back in the day, Obama and Kerry agreed to Iran’s demand that its military bases be off-limits to inspectors. Since it is fair to say that neither Obama nor Kerry is stupid, it is safe to assume that neither particularly cared if Iran had an unsupervised nuclear-weapons program.

Equally pathetic is Kerry’s epiphany that an Iranian ballistic-missile program is an affirmatively bad thing. Why then did he and Obama work so hard to lift international restrictions on Iran’s ability to develop such a system when its only purpose is to deliver a nuclear warhead?

Sadly, it took the atrocities in southern Israel on Oct. 7, 2023, for Kerry to learn that any deal with Tehran must include its “outright termination of sponsorship of proxies and terrorism.” Critics of the JCPOA wanted that language included in the text. Instead, the Obama administration responded to those concerns by giving more than $115 billion in sanctions relief to the Iranian regime. With the resulting flood of cash, the mullahs developed their nuclear-weapons program; funded their military; financed their international terrorist network; and further solidified their position as the world’s leading state sponsor of terrorism.

Obama and Kerry made up, out of whole cloth, the notion that there were “moderate” voices within the Iranian government in 2015 that were seeking compromise with America. Ben Rhodes, Obama’s former assistant national security advisor, admitted to The New York Times in a May 2016 interview that the Obama White House lied to the American people to sell the deal: “We created an echo chamber,” he said, adding that the press “were saying things that validated what we had given them to say.”

If the Iran nuclear deal was so terrific, then why did they need to lie about it? They should have just defended it on its own terms. But the deal was indefensible.

Kerry implies in his op-ed that Trump has a freer hand to make a better and stronger deal for the United States than Obama ever did. As he writes: “The coalition that defined the opportunities and challenges of negotiation in 2015 is no more. Europe has relations with Tehran. The multilateral nuclear sanctions the world imposed to bring Iran to the negotiating table are long gone and not coming back. Relationships with Moscow and Beijing have been reshaped by disagreements over Ukraine and trade. In short, this leaves two parties, not eight, to strike a new agreement.”

What nonsense. Nothing forced Obama to agree to anything that did not advance the national security interests of the United States. Either the deal was good for America, or it was not. And it definitely was not.

Kerry tacitly admits that he and Obama agreed to compromise America’s national security to accommodate Moscow and Beijing. In 2015, Xi and Putin were working to protect Iran at America’s expense. Kerry now seems to be waking up to the fact that our interests and those of our enemies are not aligned.

Also instructive: Kerry’s utter disregard for the security needs of Israel and for the proposition that his ill-advised nuclear deal with Iran laid the groundwork for Oct. 7. Kerry’s enmity for the Jewish state and his efforts to undermine its national security continue unabated.

Finally, Kerry believes that if a new agreement is reached with Iran, it should be codified in a treaty. “The Senate should codify this revamped state of affairs with a legally binding treaty—thereby addressing a key Iranian concern about the possible reversal of any executive agreement.” How rich. He and Obama turned the U.S. Constitution on its head to ensure the JCPOA was never presented to the Senate for approval—and for good reason. It would have failed spectacularly with both Democrat and Republican senators voting against it.

Clearly, Kerry’s effort to rehabilitate his reputation is as big a failure as the Iran nuclear deal itself, which has visited so much harm on the United States, Israel and the world.

Omer Shem Tov, a former hostage of Hamas terrorists in Gaza, on Wednesday posted online a video of him speaking on the phone with Norwegian football star Erling Haaland.

Haaland asked Shem Tov, 22, how he was doing. Shem Tov, who was abducted from the Nova music festival near Kibbutz Re’im on Oct. 7, 2023, and released 505 days later, said: “I really appreciate what you’re doing and I really like you, you’re amazing, I’m so excited to be speaking to you.”

The soccer player, a striker for Premier League club Manchester City and the Norway national team, is Shem Tov’s favorite striker, Channel 12 News reported. Haaland, one of the world’s best-known soccer players, has not spoken publicly about Israel or the war that broke out on Oct. 7, 2023.

In November 2023, he posted to his 40 million followers on Instagram: "No innocent child deserves to die" as a caption to a photo of himself with two children.

His conversation with Shem Tov, which grabbed headlines in Israel and circulated widely on social media, was not widely covered by the media in Norway, where anti-Israel attitudes are common. Fifty-one percent of respondents in a recent poll in Norway said that what Israel is doing to Palestinians is comparable to what Nazis did to the Jews.

One conservative news site, Document.no, did write an article about Haaland’s conversation with Shem Tov, praising the gesture and Haaland as “good representatives of this important part of Norwegian culture.”

The Palestinian Islamic Jihad terrorist group on Wednesday released a proof-of-life video of Israeli hostage Rom Braslavski, who has been held captive by the terrorist organization since Oct. 7, 2023.

In the video, the 21-year-old Braslavski addresses the Israeli government, pleading to be returned home. He also makes a direct appeal to U.S. President Donald Trump, specifically reminding the president of his promise to bring all the hostages home.

The video marks the first recorded proof of life from Rom in the 558 days since his capture. The off-duty soldier, a resident of Jerusalem, was abducted from the Nova music festival near Kibbutz Re'im, where he was working as a security guard. 

Braslavski’s cousin, Adam Hajj, told Israel's Kan broadcaster a day after Braslavki's birthday in December that “he stayed behind to save people” at the festival during the Hamas-led terrorist assault.

Although his face was blurred in the released footage, he can be identified by certain distinguishing features. 

"We need to do everything possible," Rom's mother, Tami Braslavski, said after seeing the video. “They want to drive them crazy there. I want my son and all the hostages home!"

“I don’t even recognize my son. He has aged 10 years. This isn’t my Rom. He’s tough, and he looks terrible. If they broke Rom, they’ll break everyone,” she added.

Originally published by Israel Hayom.

While Jews around the world gathered around the Seder table to retell the story of the Exodus from Egypt, hundreds of families in Israel could not bear to face that table with the trauma of the empty chair. 

As the Swords of Iron War passed the 18-month mark and 59 hostages remained in Gaza, 24 of whom are believed to be alive, the Passover story—from oppression to liberation—remains a distant dream for many dealing with the crushing grief and loss from terrorism and war.

To support these families during these difficult times, the Jerusalem-based OneFamily organization held an uplifting three-day Passover retreat at a hotel in Jerusalem.

More than 100 families gathered to observe the holiday, finding strength and solace in one another. Rabbi Yoav Okanin, a former chief rabbi of IDF Central Command, led the Seder on Saturday night.

"Last year, it was clear I couldn't sit at the table and the Passover Seder with OneFamily was the ultimate solution," said Sarit Ohayon, who lost both her husband and son in battle in Ofakim on Oct. 7, 2023.

Ohayon's two sons and husband went out to fight when Gaza terrorists infiltrated their city. During an exchange of gunfire, her husband, Moshe, and her son, Eliav, were killed. She learned about their heroic actions in defending the city a day later, thanks to neighbors who witnessed the battle and shared what they saw.

"Being with other bereaved families is comforting," she said. "You feel like you're not being judged, and we also had the opportunity to help others. It’s true that it’s not an ideal Seder, but in our reality, it’s truly a lifeline."

OneFamily said it hosted the event "to strengthen families who have lost their loved ones and to transform the holiday, which can easily become a day of sorrow, into an evening of warmth, community and hope, alongside the pain and loss."

With the help of psychologists and OneFamily professionals, the families participated in activities for children and teens, such as singing and dancing, designed to make the holiday easier and provide an opportunity to celebrate as a community and not forgo moments of joy.

Yasmin Abuksis's eldest son, First Sergeant Evyatar Ohayon-Abuksis, a Golani soldier in the 51st Battalion, was killed on Oct. 7 at Kissufim on the final day of his military service, just before his scheduled discharge. "I’ve been religious for 27 years and very connected to the holidays, but since Evyatar was killed, it’s been incredibly hard. He was very dominant and, as the eldest, took on a meaningful role," she said.

"For me, the Seder with OneFamily was a lifesaver," she added. "Their events are always so well done—embracing, respectful, and dignified. For both the children and me, this organization is incredibly meaningful. The retreats, the support groups, the events—They are truly like family. Even my kids made friends and became part of a peer group. I don’t know how people go through something like this alone."

Rebecca Henkin’s husband, IDF Major Avraham Henkin, a fighter in Israel's National Counter-Terror Unit (YAMAM), fell while fighting in the south to save residents and IDF soldiers on Oct. 7. His widow, four children and parents attended the Passover weekend.

“Sharing the Passover Seder with families in a situation similar to ours was incredibly empowering and moving. My children felt free and comfortable with the other kids," Henkin said. “My daughter said, 'Because they know what we’ve been through and they understand.'" 

She continued: “In previous years, being with family on Seder night was always important to us. And then… the disaster of Oct. 7 happened and for all kinds of reasons, we weren’t able to be together as a family. This year, we were able to be not only with families who have gone through something similar but also with our own family—my children’s grandparents and aunts."

Reflecting on the special Seder this year in Jerusalem, Henkin said: "We laughed and cried, sang and prayed, and ate all together. And that was the most empowering and strengthening thing of all.”

'It is a privilege to be here with you'

Natan Sharansky, the legendary former Soviet dissident who currently serves as chairman of the Institute for the Study of Global Antisemitism and Policy, came to the hotel on Sunday to support the families.

After speaking about his efforts to remember the Hagaddah while in prison for nine years in the former Soviet Union, he spoke to the families, asking them to consider the positive side of the situation in Israel today: "According to an annual study, we are one of the happiest nations in the world. Even during this war, with so much tragedy and death!"

He continued: "We have an increasing birth rate—even during war— which is unheard of. How do you explain this? We are a people who lives immersed in our history. We know that this history is still unfolding. 96% of Jewish Israelis participated in a Seder! How many of our fallen heroes wrote to their families that if they fell in battle, not to view their death as a tragedy? Many said that they were proud to be fighting for Israel and to be a part of our history." 

Addressing the bereaved families directly, he added, "Your fallen heroes are part of the continuation of the Passover story, of our history as a nation. It is a privilege to be here with you." 

Marc Belzberg, chairman and founder of OneFamily, said, "For bereaved families, the holidays become incredibly difficult days filled with longing and painful absence. At OneFamily, we believe in the power of a community of peers who uplift and strengthen each other."

He added: "At this Seder, we are telling the story of those who paid the ultimate price, and we are strengthening those who remain to live on and continue their legacy. Our goal is to create a meaningful space where families feel belonging and togetherness. My wife Chantal and I feel deeply privileged to support these families and widows all year long, and we’re honored to be with them during the holiday and stand by them in the most difficult moments."

OneFamily has been devoted to supporting families of terror victims and fallen soldiers for 24 years. Since Oct. 7, 2023, it has been working tirelessly to reach every affected family and provide, in its words, "the broadest and warmest support possible, along with heartfelt care and love."