Out & About with Linda
There was no restaurant hopping this month. No uncovering of a neat gallery or gift shop…
This month my travels took me to an evening with Bar Kupershtein, Former Hostage. His is a story of survival, faith and hope.
Bar Kupershtein spent 738 days as a hostage of Hamas. 738 days of being shuffled from location to location. 738 days of not knowing when or if he would be released and see his family again. 738 days of mental and sometimes physical torture… all of it filled with painful anguish.
Part of a speaking tour of many stops, Bar, now 26, was sharing his experience in Fort Washington. During that time he reflected on how he returned to normalcy whole and hopeful. It’s quite a story as you can imagine.
One of five children, he’s the oldest. Growing up in Israel, from a modest family, he was busy contributing to the support of his family. And that’s how he got to the Nova Music Festival…he was head of security. Trained in the army, he was a perfect candidate for this job.
He talked about suddenly seeing rockets in the air. Perhaps not so unusual for Israel, but then clearly showing themselves as the enemy. With everything enclosed by gates, what could have been an overwhelming death trap was averted when he ordered the surrounding gates to be opened. In the aftermath he was told that by doing so, he saved approximately 2000 people from their demise.
The entire landscape was covered with terrorists. He hid in the bushes still trying to assist and protect others from death. Not an easy undertaking. His job was to save other lives first and then protect his own.
He talked of not understanding why the terrorists were doing this wholescale murder, killing everyone they had in sight. Their songs of jubilation…unbelievable. I don’t have to recount the barbarism of what happened that fateful day. I’m sure most of us are fully aware of what occurred.
Finally, he was grabbed and apprehended with four other hostages and dragged off. The terrorists asked him where is your G-d now? “All I could think,” according to Bar, “was that this is a test that I have to pass. My grandfather was a survivor of the holocaust and I, too, will be a survivor of this.”
Early on, he and his four fellow hostages were moved from one apartment to another. Yes, it’s true, these hostages were in a bare apartment, shackled, and moved around. This time, this move, he could feel something was wrong and prayed the Shema, one of the most important of Jewish prayers. It is said among various times, including before we go to sleep at night. But then when one is dying, it’s the final prayer we say before passing. In spite of his “sick” feeling, he felt G-d’s presence and found out that the apartment he had just left had been bombed only minutes after he and his buddy were removed from that spot. Only two hostages remained from that location and Bar was one of them.
Time passed. New hostages joined him. New stories of what was happening. They became family. Some how they got access to a radio and heard on Al Jezeera when the Jewish holidays occurred, knew when it was the Sabbath. It’s curious how he acknowledged that these Hamas fighters, through Al Jezeera, kept them in touch with the world. But it was his faith in G-d that kept him strong. He felt His signs all around him.
He talked about not being angry for not being released earlier like some of the other hostages. He said he was happy they were released earlier so they could tell his family that he was alive and “still kickin’.” Yes, it was hard he shared….they broke his legs. They tortured him physically, but he felt he had to be strong for his family. He was going to return home.
I found it curious, that throughout his talk his strongest admonition was “It was hard.” It could be the result of a language issue. His primary language was Hebrew. But his demeanor was calm. Yes, there was anger and astonishment at what happened. And I’m sure there was hate hiding somewhere in his words. But what appeared to be a gentle soul, was someone who stood firm and sure that all would be ok at the end, whenever that arrived.
One story he shared was pretty amazing. Listening to the radio one evening, it was his birthday. Somehow, Bar’s Mother, certain her son was alive, managed to get a Happy Birthday announcement on the radio. He was 30 meters underground at that time and still able to hear his Mother’s voice and wishes. Already in captivity for two years, he rejoiced in hearing her voice. How did it happen? How could it happen? For sure, if you believe as Bar believes, G-d’s finger was present in that moment. To be listening to the radio at that very moment…It would appear to be an impossible coincidence. But no, it was a Divine message. It gave him hope. He knew he was coming home. Pretty special story.
Finally, he was released. 738 days after…October 7, 2023 – October 15, 2025. His ailing father who had suffered a stroke was able to walk a few steps to greet him and his mother….well, you can only imagine how her painful crying became wild, tears of joy.
Bar’s story is not alone, unfortunately. More than 2100 people murdered. 250 hostages. It’s still unravelling. We pray that it never happens again. We pray that those families and survivors can go from strength to strength, And we pray that hope and faith, in whatever G-d you believe, can carry you through unimaginable darkness to the light at the end of the tunnel..
