Secular, religious women join forces at Tel Aviv rally for Gaza hostages

Moran Zer Katzenstein, chair of the Women Wage Peace movement, and religious leader Rabbanit Yemima Mizrahi speak to a crowd of thousands in Tel Aviv’s Hostages’ Square at a rally for the Hamas-held captives.

The two women onstage reflect the religious diversity of the crowd, which consists of a mix of secular and religious Israelis gathering in Tel Aviv a few days ahead of the Passover holiday.

“In addition to prayer, the Torah says that we must make an effort. Each one of us should check what effort we are making to return the hostages now,” says Zer Katzenstein, a secular Israeli.

Mizrachi, a prominent leader in the Israel’s Orthodox sphere, focuses on the women who suffer from Hamas’s October 7 onslaught, either as internal refugees from the Gaza Envelope or hostages in the Strip.

“They will stand towards the open door, anticipating that this night will be different from all other nights, that this night, we will finally be joyful,” she says, speaking of the women affected by the unprecedented massacre.