Released hostage Eliya Cohen, who is of a priestly family, visited the Western Wall on Tuesday and delivered the Priestly Blessing to tens of thousands praying there.
Released hostage Eliya Cohen visited the Western Wall on Tuesday, hist first such visit since being freed.
As part of the visit, Cohen, who is of a priestly family, took part in the Priestly Blessing ceremony held today at the Western Wall and blessed the tens of thousands who assembled for the service.
Cohen’s visit comes exactly one year after his mother, Sigi, was invited to the Priestly Blessing ceremony to pray for his release.
This traditional ceremony has taken place for 54 years since it was initiated by the righteous Rabbi Menachem Mendel Gafner. For years, it has been organized by the Western Wall Heritage Foundation during the intermediate days of Passover and Sukkot, with hundreds of priests (known in Hebrew as Kohanim) bestowing the biblical blessing from Numbers upon the public.
The ceremony was attended by the Sephardic chief rabbi of Israel, Rabbi David Yosef, the Ashkenazi chief rabbi of Israel, Rabbi Kalman Bar; the rabbi of the Western Wall and holy sites, Rabbi Shmuel Rabinowitz; chief rabbi of the Israel Police, Commander Rabbi Rami Rahamim Berachyahu; former Israel police commissioner, Commissioner Kobi Shabtai; Jerusalem Mayor Moshe Lion; Panama’s ambassador to Israel Ezra Cohen; rabbis, ministers, public figures; the families of Segev Kalfon and Uriel Baruch, who are still held hostage by Hamas; hundreds of priests, and thousands of worshipers.
The prayer service was led by Rabbi Shmuel Rabinowitz, and was followed by the traditional “Greeting One’s Rabbi on the Festival” ceremony with the chief rabbis of Israel and rabbi of the Western Wall and holy sites, during which thousands of worshipers came to receive holiday blessings. This ceremony was dedicated to prayers for the return of the hostages, the well-being of IDF soldiers, the recovery of the wounded, and for peace and security in Israel.
About a month ago, Cohen published a post summarizing his long captivity. “Remember the days you prayed for the things you have today,” Eliya said at the beginning of the post. “I decided today, once and for all, to sit down and summarize the most illogical period I have been in. A period of 505 days that are unlike anything one can imagine. 505 days of captivity. Of darkness. Of complete disconnection from the world, from my family, from my friends, from Ziv – from my life.”
“It took me some time to gather myself, to understand how it is even possible to explain in words what I went through there. The most difficult, the most bizarre, the most painful situations a person can encounter.”
He wrote about the difficult moments from captivity and said: “There were moments there that no movie could recreate. Moments of hunger, of fear, of insane pain in the body and heart. And there were also difficult moments, ones that had a feeling of loss, a feeling of complete loneliness. But despite everything – one thing couldn’t be broken in me: my spirit. The little hope in my heart that somehow, a miracle would happen here and I would return home.”
“And the smile… yes, even when there was nothing to smile about, I tried to hold onto the smile. Because that’s how you win over darkness. When I’m here, looking back, I understand that my strength was not just mine. I had an entire nation behind me. Every soldier, every person who went out to the streets, who waved a sign, who shouted my name, who prayed, who fought physically to see me return – you were my miracle.”
“And within all this light, I do not forget the steep price we paid. There are families who will not get their son or daughter back. Precious soldiers who gave their lives to recover me, to bring us back. Bereaved families who feel this pain every day, this emptiness that no one can fill. I cannot imagine the magnitude of the pain, but I want you to know – with every breath I take, I will never forget you. The life I received was also a gift from them. Thanks to the bravery and dedication of your loved ones.”
After that, he elaborated on the support he has received since returning to the country: “The support I receive from the people of Israel from the moment I returned is unimaginable. And my friends, my family, Ziv – the people who never gave up on me for a moment – I have no words to thank you. And honestly, I sat down to write not just for the sake of it, I write as someone who lost everything and received life as a gift. I want you to pause for a moment and think: how many times a day do you forget to appreciate what you have? Family. Friends. Morning coffee. Peace at night. Don’t wait for someone to take it from you to understand.”
“I am here today to remind you – life is a gift. Love. Live. Appreciate. And don’t forget – even in the hardest moments, it is okay to despair – but it is forbidden to give up.”
