“Never again – this is now”: thousands at the rally for the return of the abductees in Tel Aviv, with the participation of Holocaust survivors

Thousands participated this evening (Saturday) in a rally at Hatofim Square in Tel Aviv calling for their return, in commemoration of Holocaust Day which will be celebrated next Monday. The rally, under the title “Never Again – It’s Now”, was attended by the families of the abductees and Holocaust survivors. It was held against the background of reports according to which Hamas is expected to accept the mediators’ proposal for a deal to return hostages and a ceasefire, and the debate in the government whether to accept it.

Moshe Nautra, the father of the kidnapped soldier Omar Nautra, told about his great-grandfather Yosef, who was born in Yugoslavia in 1902, and was persecuted for being Jewish. After the Nazi takeover of Yugoslavia, he joined the partisans with his family and children, and immigrated to Israel in 1949. Orna Nautra told about her father, born in Slovakia, who fled the town where he was born and hid in a Polish village.

“Our family has been fighting for Omar’s life since the day he was taken,” said the mother, Orna, “fighting for the right and consciousness all over the world, and here as well. In my father’s opinion, because we have a state, our situation today is not similar to the time of the Holocaust. Today there is a state with public representatives And an army with the ability and responsibility to protect the country and the inhabitants. But nothing is taken for granted. Those who survived the Holocaust showed initiative and resourcefulness and did not lose faith that there is light at the end. And many of Omar’s friends fight bravely for the liberation of the abductees.

Father Moshe added: “We stood on this stage on the fiftieth day and also on the hundredth day. We are standing now just before Holocaust Day. How long will we stand on this stage? How long will our children, our brothers, our parents be abandoned in the wars of Hamas, how long? We call on the Prime Minister – find out Be resourceful, show courage, do what is necessary to bring the abductees home. The sanctity of life and resurrection require their return home.”

Ora Rubinsteinthe abductee’s aunt Bar Kuperstein, she said: “I am the aunt of Bar, who is in captivity of the Nazi terrorists. We have had no day and night since that damned day. Only fear and anxiety. It is difficult to breathe and function.” She stood by Bar’s grandfather, a holocaust survivor. “I pray and hope that Shaver will return to us from this nightmare, that his grandfather’s power was transferred to him. The grief over the kidnapping of his grandson brings him back to dark days. brings back to him all the nightmares about which we said ‘never again’. Never again is now. Because the best of our children, at the beginning of their lives, are kidnapped in 2024 by terrorist Nazis from Bani Belial.”

Michael Kuperstein, a Holocaust survivor and the grandfather of the abductee Bar Kuperstein, Letzer Ora Rubinstein, Bar Kuperstein’s daughter and aunt (Photo: Paulina Fatimer)

“Don’t forget our loved ones, don’t let history repeat itself,” said Rubinstein, “they don’t have time. We can’t let their fate be like Ron Arad’s. You know, we won’t give up on them. You who sit in the decision-making chair will make the right decisions, even if necessary Concessions are painful, you must do so. Don’t forget them, fight for them, make their voices heard. We will not rest until it is over and all the abductees return.”

Gal Gorenthe son of Mia Goren who was kidnapped from Nir Oz and murdered by Hamas terrorists, and her sister-in-law Samdar Alfasa Gorensaid: “Tomorrow, May 5, Mia should have been 57 years old. She was always the first to send us all a blessing on our birthdays. Giving was the essence of her life. She always showed interest in others, in children, and that’s how she raised us.

“On October 7, all this stopped. She got up early and arranged the garden for Sunday. She was shot and kidnapped in a serious condition to Gaza.

“Mother, you will no longer be 57 years old, not tomorrow and not ever,” said Gal, “we can only bury you next to father. But there are those who will be able to celebrate. There are those who will be able to hug their loved ones. That is why we demand that the return of all the abductees be put before Everything.”

Gal Goren, the son of Mia Goren, who was murdered in Nir Oz, and her sister-in-law Smadr Alfasa Goren, at a rally for the return of the abductees (Photo: Oren Dagan)

At the beginning of the rally, the leader of the rally, the actor, said Lior Ashkenazi: “The Government of Israel and the War Cabinet, your historic role obliges you to now approve the deal that is on the table. Return the kidnapped to their homes and the victims to a dignified burial, now. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, for years you said ‘never again’. But never again is this now” .

At the same time as the rally, thousands participated in a protest on Kaplan Avenue in Tel Aviv, calling for the return of the abductees and protesting against the government. The protesters blocked the road and lit torches.