This week, former hostage Erez Calderon, aged 13, made his bar mitzvah in Kiryat Gat, where his community – that of kibbutz Nir Oz – has lived for several months.
Calderon read the Torah at a nearby synagogue.
Calderon was released at the end of November 2023, along with his older sister, Sahar, aged 17, after 52 days of captivity. Their father, Ofer Calderon, is still hostage in Gaza.
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In Herzliya, relatives of hostage Omer Shem Tov gathered to celebrate his 22nd birthday, which was also his second anniversary in captivity.
Hundreds of people marched alongside the family through the streets of Herzliya carrying yellow and white balloons.
“You all want to see him,” his mother, Shelly Shem Tov, told the crowd, who then sang “Happy Birthday.”
“He’ll be here soon,” she said.
Also present were Itay and Maya Regev, the brother and sister taken hostage at the same time as Shem Tov, during the Nova rave, but they were released in November thanks to an agreement.
Ex-hostages Maya Regev (right) and Itay Regev (left) during a birthday celebration, October 31, 2024, in Herzliya, for hostage Omer Shem Tov, still hostage in Gaza. (Credit: Dana Reany)
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