‘My son was shot at the Nova festival and remains a hostage in Gaza’
Mother of hostage Eliya Cohen speaks to 120 women at Migdal Ohr event at St John's Wood Shul
Naomi is a freelance features writer
On Wednesday night Sigal ‘Sigi’ Cohen told a group of 120 women at St John’s Wood shul the harrowing fate of her son Eliya, 26, who has been held hostage in Gaza since the October 7 massacre.
Sigi told the women she discovered Eliya and his girlfriend Ziv had been at the Nova festival and Eliya was injured.
Initially thinking he was safe in an Israeli hospital, Sigi’s world crumbled when a Facebook message revealed a picture showing Eliya in Gaza and she has been “unable to eat, work or sleep since”.
The couple escaped the party, only to face a terrorist attack in a shelter. “Ziv survived by being buried under bodies, playing dead. She heard Eliya cry that he’d been shot.”
The Women’s Hearts United for Israel event, orchestrated by Migdal Ohr UK, was an evening to cultivate love, solidarity and support among Jewish women as well as raise funds for Magen Israel emergency relief.
Executive director Amit Fraser illuminated Migdal Ohr’s crucial role as “Israel’s largest welfare charity, caring every year for 12,000 at-risk orphaned children.”
She emphasised the invaluable contribution of every woman present, highlighting that their dedication fuels Migdal Ohr’s ability to provide comfort and security during challenging times, ultimately bolstering the future of Israel. The crowd was then introduced to Lana Saffrin Betesh, chair of StandWithUs UK and Shiran Ben Ezra from Achinoam Association, who discussed shared values and commitments.
The evening was enhanced by the magnetically warm presence of Israeli-born motivational speaker Michal Oshman – a TEDx luminary, mentor, and best-selling author.
The main event, a challah-making activity, unfolded gracefully, with Israeli flags adorning tables and the necessary ingredients prepped for the occasion. Led by Sarit Vogel, a dynamic pre-marital coach and marriage counsellor, the activity blended Jewish teachings and mysticism with the physical act of challah-making. Sigi made the bracha of hafrashot (separating) challah along with the crowd, as well as prayers for the safe and speedy return of Eliya and the other hostages.
A heartfelt performance by tenor Shimi Goodman, paying tribute to the hostages, was rounded off with the Hatikvah and an uplifting reminder from Sarit that “while our enemies might not realise it yet, the greatest miracle of Chanukah is us. For the Jewish soul is likened to a candle – eternal, unwavering and always illuminating, even in the darkest of times”.
Guests left with laden trays of challah along with goodie bags containing a copy of Michal Oshman’s bestseller What Would you do if you weren’t afraid? plus Shabbat candles to light for Israel, keeping the flame of hope for our hostages flickering.
To contribute to Migdal Ohr’s Magen Israel initiative click here.
Thank you for helping to make Jewish News the leading source of news and opinion for the UK Jewish community. Today we're asking for your invaluable help to continue putting our community first in everything we do.
For as little as £5 a month you can help sustain the vital work we do in celebrating and standing up for Jewish life in Britain.
Jewish News holds our community together and keeps us connected. Like a synagogue, it’s where people turn to feel part of something bigger. It also proudly shows the rest of Britain the vibrancy and rich culture of modern Jewish life.
You can make a quick and easy one-off or monthly contribution of £5, £10, £20 or any other sum you’re comfortable with.
100% of your donation will help us continue celebrating our community, in all its dynamic diversity...
Engaging
Being a community platform means so much more than producing a newspaper and website. One of our proudest roles is media partnering with our invaluable charities to amplify the outstanding work they do to help us all.
Celebrating
There’s no shortage of oys in the world but Jewish News takes every opportunity to celebrate the joys too, through projects like Night of Heroes, 40 Under 40 and other compelling countdowns that make the community kvell with pride.
Pioneering
In the first collaboration between media outlets from different faiths, Jewish News worked with British Muslim TV and Church Times to produce a list of young activists leading the way on interfaith understanding.
Campaigning
Royal Mail issued a stamp honouring Holocaust hero Sir Nicholas Winton after a Jewish News campaign attracted more than 100,000 backers. Jewish Newsalso produces special editions of the paper highlighting pressing issues including mental health and Holocaust remembrance.
Easy access
In an age when news is readily accessible, Jewish News provides high-quality content free online and offline, removing any financial barriers to connecting people.
Voice of our community to wider society
The Jewish News team regularly appears on TV, radio and on the pages of the national press to comment on stories about the Jewish community. Easy access to the paper on the streets of London also means Jewish News provides an invaluable window into the community for the country at large.
We hope you agree all this is worth preserving.
