Yesterday, my parents cut the ribbon on a memorial garden featuring the Stations of the Cross in Maysville, KY. May it bring peace to all who enter & a blessing for generations to come. Wishing all a sacred Holy Week.
https://t.co/CenhEUZA4K
For the first time ever, the most famous American in the world is not the president or a Hollywood icon or tech billionaire — it’s the pope.
This is more than a Catholic triumph; it’s a cultural watershed for the United States.
In a society that often equates American influence with might or money or celebrity, now our foremost representative on the global stage is a humble man in a white cassock, preaching love, justice, and mercy.
Lifting up Louisville this morning and praying for the families who lost loved ones in UPS Flight 2976. Grateful to our first responders and emergency personnel working tirelessly to keep people safe.
David Cunio reuniting with his twin girls (who were also held captive in Gaza for 50+ days) after 2 years is infinitely beautiful but one can't help but think of their neighbors and lifelong friends, the Bibas family. Both families were kidnapped by Hamas but only one came home.
Sending prayers to those impacted by the storms overnight in KY, especially in Laurel and Pulaski Co. The loss of life continues to grow. Strength to the families who have lost loved ones, those that sustained injuries, and our first responders and search and rescue teams.
We should all want to be like Junior. Sending condolences to Junior’s family and friends across the country and our Commonwealth. He was a man who meant so much to so many.
Our hearts ache upon receiving the bitter news of the identification of Ohad Yahalomi, Tsachi Idan, Itzik Elgarat, and Shlomo Mantzur, whose bodies were returned overnight from captivity at the hands of Hamas terrorists.
In this painful moment, there is some solace in knowing that they will be laid to rest in dignity in Israel.
Ohad Yahalomi was a man of the land and a devoted family man, a lover of Israel who dedicated himself to preserving its landscapes through his work with the Israel Nature and Parks Authority. He was kidnapped by Hamas along with his son, Eitan, who was released in the first hostage deal. The terrorists also attempted to abduct his wife, Bat-Sheva, and his daughters, who heroically managed to escape.
Itzik Elgarat was a devoted father of two and a beloved uncle to his nieces and nephews. He embraced life to the fullest and was especially cherished by the members of Kibbutz Nir Oz, with whom he loved playing backgammon. He was also a passionate soccer fan and a dedicated supporter of Maccabi Tel Aviv.
Tsachi Idan, who was kidnapped to Gaza on October 7, was a loving husband to his courageous wife Gali, and a devoted father to Sharon, Yael, Shachar, and Maayan —a wonderful young girl who was brutally murdered in their home before her family’s eyes by terrorists who barbarically broadcasted the horrific moments of her murder.
Shlomo Mantzur came from a proud Zionist family that immigrated from Iraq. He survived the Farhud Pogrom against the Jews of Baghdad, and came to Israel in his youth. Together with his wife, Mazal, he built a large and loving family, raising five children and 12 grandchildren. A skilled craftsman, his artistic woodwork in the carpentry shop of Kibbutz Kissufim, channeled the beauty of the kibbutz and the western Negev, a region he loved so dearly.
Together with the entire nation, we share in the immense grief and sorrow of the bereaved families and the Kibbutz communities of Nir Oz, Nahal Oz, and Kissufim. The return of our brothers’ bodies from captivity underscores our moral obligation to do everything in our power to bring back all the hostages—the living to their loving families, and the fallen to be late to rest. Until the last one is home! They are all humanitarian cases, and they must all be returned.
May their memory be a blessing.
It is pure evil to take a mother and her young children and an elderly man hostage.
It takes another layer of evil to be responsible for their deaths.
And yet a further layer of evil to trade their bodies to release hundreds of prisoners including terrorists serving life sentences for murder.
This is what Israel is up against.
Today, all decent people around the world mourn with Israel, Kibbutz Nir Oz, and the Bibas and Lifshitz families.
With broken hearts, we pray for the return of all the hostages and a just and lasting peace.
עם ישראל חי!
At the end of the clip, Avital, Sagui’s wife, asks if he remembers the name they chose for their daughter, who was born just after he was taken hostage in Gaza.
Sagui responds, “Mazal!” to which Avital replies, “That’s right. Her name is Shachar Mazal.” 💕
79 hostages remain in Gaza 🎗️
In Phase One of the return:
➡️ 33 hostages were slated for release
➡️ 18 have returned so far—13 Israelis and 5 Thai nationals
➡️ The Thai hostages were not part of the mediated deal for the 33 Israeli hostages
20 more are expected to return in this phase, 8 of whom will not be alive
➡️ 7 are men over 50
➡️ 10 are sick or injured
➡️ 3 are from the Bibas family