Survivor and former hostage Agam Berger connects her Hamas captivity to centuries of Jewish resilience, urging Israel to fight for its identity and bring every hostage home.
On the solemn night of Tisha B’Av in Tel Aviv, former hostage Agam Berger stood before a silent crowd and delivered a speech that was as much a personal testimony as it was a declaration of national defiance.
“Exactly one year ago, on Tisha B’Av night, I was sitting in a Hamas tunnel — and I chose to fast,” Berger began. “I fasted because I understood that our collective memory — the memory of destruction and exile — can help us grow. The Jewish people have faced tragedies that would have erased most nations. Yet we endure.”
💔 From Ancient Catastrophes to Modern Captivity
Drawing a line from her ordeal to the sweep of Jewish history, Berger recounted the First and Second Temple destructions, the Babylonian exile, Roman conquest, Crusades, and Spanish expulsion.
“Our ancestors wept, mourned, prayed — but they never surrendered to fear or victimhood. They knew they had a purpose. Every devastation eventually led to renewal.”
She evoked a powerful modern parallel:
“Just three years after Auschwitz, the Jewish people chose life and founded the State of Israel. We never gave in to despair.”
🛡️ Holding Onto Identity in the Face of Death
Berger told the audience she was kidnapped simply for being Jewish.
“I risked my life to hold onto who I am. I faced the Angel of Death and refused to let him win. In captivity, they can take your freedom, they can strip away your humanity — but history shows they cannot imprison the Jewish soul.”
Even underground, Berger and fellow captives clung to Jewish tradition.
“We learned the Hebrew date — 6th of Av — and from that day, we counted until Tisha B’Av. We fasted, we prayed. Even in the darkness, we stayed part of our people’s journey.”
⚔️ A Call to Spiritual Resistance
She warned that the current conflict is as much about identity as it is about territory.
“Every soldier entering Gaza sees images of Al‑Aqsa. Their eyes are on Jerusalem. We must answer by strengthening our identity, by reconnecting to our roots. The hatred against us is not logical — it’s ancient. Our generation is living a defining moment in Jewish history. After October 7th, we cannot afford to falter.”
🙏 The Moral Imperative: Bring Them Home
Berger ended with a heartfelt plea:
“Above all, we must stand for the release of the hostages. Bring them home. That is our most basic moral, national, and Jewish responsibility.”
Her final words echoed like a vow:
“My story is one of faith — of a people who deserve to be free in their land. Now it’s your turn, to make sure that being a free people in our land isn’t just a line in our national anthem, but the truth of our existence.”
