Hostage families hold prayer service near home of chief negotiator Dermer: ‘The responsibility is in your hands’

Bereaved father Elhanan Danino, whose son Ori was murdered in Gaza, and the family of hostage Edan Alexander, including his grandparents and uncle, gather to pray together and mark the new Jewish month of Nissan, in a park near the home of chief hostage negotiator, Strategic Affairs Minister Ron Dermer.

The gathering of more than 100 people, including teenagers from a local high school, pray with fervor for the return of the hostages.

“Please God, save us, relieve us!” calls Levi Ben Baruch, Alexander’s uncle, as he leads the prayers.

Attached to the chain link fence surrounding the park are signs of hostages still in Gaza, asking Dermer for his aid in saving Alon Ohel, Matan Zangauker, Omri Miran, Nimrod Cohen, Alexander and others.

The month of Nissan is a new beginning, says Ilay David, brother of hostage Evyatar David, who joins the gathering.

“We remind Ron Dermer that the responsibility is in your hands, you’re the key person chosen by the prime minister, no more selection process of who gets freed first.”

Ben Baruch speaks about the Biblical tabernacle, the center for the ancient Jews, as read about in the weekly Torah portion.

“In these moments, the tabernacle is the heart of the Jewish people,” he says.

“Put your heart in the right place like the ancient priests did and carry out the acts that need to be completed.”

“When we read on Seder night about letting no one go hungry, do you want the hostages to still be eating a moldy piece of pita? You can return the happiness of an entire nation,” he says, referring to the upcoming Passover holiday.

Their words were echoed by bereaved father Tzvi Zussman, whose son Ben was killed fighting in Gaza.

“I won’t see my son again,” says Zussman. “But these families, with the help of the government and Dermer, can change the reality. Complete the deal, do it and bring them all home now.”