From the Liveblog of
Monday, June 9, 2025
Hostages’ families ask supporters to participate in day of good deeds to mark 613 days of captivity in Gaza
Add ToI as a Preferred Source on GoogleJessica Steinberg, The Times of Israel's culture and lifestyles editor, covers the Sabra scene from south to north and back to the center
The families of the hostages are seeking participants in a day of good deeds tomorrow, marking 613 days that the remaining 55 hostages have been held in Gaza
The number 613 corresponds in Jewish tradition to the number of mitzvahs, or commandments and precepts given in the Torah.
Simultaneously, the Knesset is holding a day of discussions about the hostages in six committees.
Meetings will be held about economic assistance for the families of the hostages; aid systems in local authorities for returned hostages and their families; issues relating to female hostages; online violence on social media against the families of the hostages; the public health issues of hostage families; and educational programs relating to the hostages and their families.
Jon Polin and Rachel Goldberg-Polin, the parents of Hersh Goldberg-Polin, who was killed in captivity in August 2024, write on social media, asking for the public to join them in “flooding the world with goodness and light in merit of all the cherished hostages coming home.”
The initiative includes suggestions of good deeds, including helping someone in need, smiling at others, making a donation, visiting an elderly person or engaging in any deed that brings light to the world.
The Polin-Goldbergs initiated a similar event for a week in July 2024, promoting kindness and good deeds in the world to bring about the redemption of the remaining hostages.
Idit Ohel, the mother of hostage Alon Ohel who is still held in captivity in Gaza, posts on social media, asking supporters to listen to the song “Song without a Name,” one of Alon’s favorite songs, which he hums when possible in captivity, according to those who were held with him.
Ohel asks the public to listen to the song at full volume or with headphones on June 10 at 9 p.m., and posts a link to the version of the song sung by Israeli songwriter Yehudit Ravitz.
“We’re sending energy of love, optimism and strength to Alon,” says Idit Ohel in an Instagram reel. “Alon, you’re not alone.”
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