PALM BEACH COUNTY, Fla. — Brian Seymour, the Israel and overseas chairman at the Jewish Federation of Palm Beach County, shared the story of Ohad Munder, one of the 13 hostages reunited with his family Friday.
"One of them was 9 years old. He had his ninth birthday in captivity with terrorists," Seymour said Saturday.
Ohad Munder ran down a corridor into the arms of his father, who scooped him up and spun him around. His mother, 55-year-old Keren Munder, and his grandmother, 78-year-old Ruti Munder, were also greeted with hugs. His grandfather, Avraham Munder, has not been released.
Seymour met with Munder's cousin and another family with someone held just three weeks ago on a solidarity trip to Israel.
"It was maybe the most difficult thing to hear and listen to that I've ever had to do," he said. "In a hug you can feel the pain of not knowing. The kind of pain they feel, the kind of difficulty you can see on their faces."
World News
13 Israeli hostages, 4 foreigners released from captivity in Gaza
Karen and Ruti Mundereach lost 12 or more pounds due to the lack of regular nutrition, Merav Mor Raviv told CNN, adding, “They were eating — but not regularly.”
Their diet in captivity included a lot of rice and bread, she added.
While the Munder family is back together, the other family Seymour met with wasn’t as lucky.
"The day after we found out his sister-in-law had been murdered. She’s never coming home," Seymour said.
Seymour said while the Jewish community is grateful that some hostages are being released, they also recognize that there are still 200 who have not been released.
Perhaps the biggest takeaway from the conversation he had with those families was sharing this message with the greater community.
"The reality is Israel was attacked. There was a cease-fire on October the sixth. None of those 200 and roughly 50 people were doing anything. Every one of them is innocent and must be brought home,” Seymour said.
However, he says even in the darkest of times Israel stands strong.
"Amongst the torn lives amongst the pain, they’re not done, they're going to rebuild," Seymour said.
He said organizations like the Jewish Federation of Palm Beach County are raising money to help with things like trauma care for these hostage families, as well as other families that have been displaced.
If you’d like to help visit www.jewishpb.org/israelfund.
