One year after Oct. 7 attack, Philadelphia families praying for release of loved ones still held hostage by Hamas
One year after Hamas launched a surprise attack on Israel and murdered 1,200 people while taking another 251 hostage, families in the Philadelphia area are still holding out hope for the release of their loved ones.
For Noga Senderowitsch, who lives in Bala Cynwyd, every day since Oct. 7, 2023 has felt like groundhog day.
"It's been one long day that we've been reliving over and over again," she said.
Two family friends, Iair and Eitan Horn, who Senderowitsch says are like brothers to her, are still missing. "They were both kidnapped together. And whether they are together or not right now, we don't know."
In Wynnewood, Danielle Gutman keeps vigil for her sister-in-law's cousin, Ohad Yahalomi, who also remains among the missing. "He was kidnapped from his home, together with his entire family," Gutman said. "His wife and daughter escaped, and his son was taken separately and was held hostage for 52 days."
For Senderowitsch and Gutman, it's hard to stay strong.
"I lose hope 10 to 20 times an hour, but then I think of Ohad and the rest of the hostages, and I don't have the privilege to lose hope," Gutman said. "I have to keep on fighting."
They continue to lean on family as well as the Jewish community of Philadelphia.
"I said guys, I can't go on, I can't do this," Senderowitsch said. "I lost hope. And somebody, usually multiple people, will pick you back up."
Amichai Shdaimah of Ardmore experienced that struggle firsthand.
His stepmother Diza Heiman was one of the people taken hostage by Hamas when she was kidnapped from her kibbutz and held for 52 days.
"One thing that she is sharing is that she was in an attic," Shdaimah said. "She was by herself, very little food, no hygiene, no medication that she needed."
While physically she's OK, Shdaimah said her spirit is still "very down."
Shdaimah returned to Israel recently to visit the kibbutz, where he saw some houses burned to the foundation, while others remained untouched. One year after the massacre, "it's peaceful and so quiet. The grass is green, the trees look good. But you know what happened there," he said.
With 101 people still missing, Shdaimah, Senderowitsch and Gutman aren't giving up.
"It's not over until everyone is home," Shdaimah said.