‘Everyone understands the pain’: Ex-hostages, Bondi Jews gather in NYC’s Times Square

NEW YORK — Former Hamas hostage Segev Kalfon saw the terrorist group parade other captives in front of crowds in Gaza before releasing the Israelis last year.

Kalfon, who kept his faith in Gaza’s tunnels, vowed that if Hamas granted him a moment on stage, he would take the opportunity to say Judaism’s central prayer, the Shema.

“I was dreaming of saying Shema Yisrael, on the stage, to the world,” Kalfon told The Times of Israel on Saturday.

By the time Kalfon was released in October, after more than two years in captivity, Hamas no longer held the handover ceremonies, so Kalfon sought another stage to assert his faith — at Times Square, in New York City.

“Hamas canceled the stage and the shows, so right now, I’m saying Shema Yisarel to all of the world,” he said.

Kalfon led thousands of Jews in the prayer on Saturday night, alongside the former hostages Ilana Gritzewsky and Matan Zangauker, during a series of events for teenagers sponsored by the Chabad Hasidic movement.

The events, called the CTeen International Shabbaton, brought together more than 4,500 youths from around 60 countries. Chabad’s home base is in the Crown Heights neighborhood of Brooklyn.

Saturday night’s event highlighted Chabad’s global reach, as well as the trauma inflicted on Jews by anti-Zionist violence thousands of miles apart.

Watching the former hostages lead the prayer were Jewish teens from Bondi Beach, Australia, where two gunmen slaughtered 15 people at a Chabad Hanukkah event in December. Chabad Rabbi Eli Schlanger was among the victims.

Priva Schlanger, the rabbi’s daughter, took the stage on Saturday night, saying, “Pain doesn’t paralyze us, it pushes us. It doesn’t erase the pain, but it gives it direction.”

Chida Levitansky, the head of the delegation from Australia, said groups from around the world had been seeking out the Australian teens to show support.

“The teens that we brought in were looking forward to this for a very long time and I think that what’s happening here is really showing them that they’re not just stuck in Australia, in another country, but there are thousands and thousands of teens that care about them,” Levitansky said, adding that the Australia group of around 20, mostly from the Sydney area, had connected with groups from around 30 other countries.

“It’s really empowering. It really makes me feel like the Jewish community’s coming together as one,” said Yehuda Nothman, one of the teens from Bondi Beach. “Everyone understands the pain, but it’s really good that everyone’s together.”

“Especially after the shooting on December 14th, to actually feel safe in a community being Jewish, being happy with 4,600 other teenagers, it is the best thing I’ve ever experienced,” said Eden Pryer, another member of the Bondi Beach delegation.

The annual CTeen Shabbaton, in its 18th year, also illustrated Chabad’s global reach. The Hasidic movement has outposts in thousands of cities around the world that cater to local and visiting Jews.

Organizers said in a statement that the CTeen events showed that “Jewish life is alive, vibrant, and not going anywhere.”

“Each teen will return home to their community carrying that message with them, serving as ambassadors of Jewish pride in their schools, their cities, and their countries,” organizers said.

Attendees hailed from 486 cities, organizers said, calling the events the largest gathering of Jewish teens worldwide. Participants at the Saturday night event chatted in an array of languages and waved their countries’ flags, including Israel, Turkey, Brazil and Panama.

The Hungarian delegation painted the colors of their flag on their cheeks and groups from Costa Rica, France, Israel and Morocco took photos together with their national flags.

The mood was mostly jubilant, with attendees dancing in circles and images of the Chabad movement’s late, revered rebbe, Rabbi Menachem Mendel Schneerson, broadcast on billboards around Times Square, and the Jewish rapper Nissim Black performed on the stage.

In addition to Saturday’s event, the teens met earlier in the week with New York City leaders, including Julie Menin, the City Council Speaker, and Mark Levine, the city comptroller, both Jewish, an event that Levitansky said was particularly meaningful for the youths.

Participants on Friday visited sites such as the Statue of Liberty, the Empire State Building, and the Ohel in Queens, Schneerson’s resting place. Kalfon wrapped tefillin, prayer phylacteries, at 770 Eastern Parkway in Crown Heights, Chabad’s headquarters.

Security concerns were still present on Saturday. Police and volunteer Jewish community security guards manned metal barricades around the event perimeter. Organizers did not publicly disclose the event before it took place due to security concerns, which has become standard practice for Jewish events in the city.

“No one is going to bring us down. Never, never,” Gritzewsky, the former hostage, told the crowd.