569 Days. The Hostages Need America.
"You have a very important role, in our life, because the discussion is here. The decisions are made here. So you are very important, and I think we all agree on that."
By Michael Golden
Itay Chen grew up in New York, but he also had family in Boston. When he was a kid, he and his dad loved to play and watch basketball together. But when Itay chose the Celtics as his team instead of the Knicks, his father Ruby had to grin and bear it.
Itay and his family are dual citizens of the United States and Israel. When Itay finished high school, he insisted to his parents that he was going to take a gap year and use it to serve in the Israel Defense Forces. It was too late a date for the Army to start him, so he waited several months — and kept pestering the IDF.
Once Itay was accepted, he made a passionate case about serving in the Tanks Division. He was 19, and while it took some convincing, IDF ultimately agreed. Itay was assigned to a military base on the Gaza border.
During the October 7 massacre at the hands of Hamas terrorists, Itay was one of the 251 hostages violently abducted and taken into the tunnels below Gaza. In March of 2024, the IDF announced that Itay was dead, though still being held by Hamas. One of 130 still in captivity. Fourteen months later, that number is 59 — including several who are presumed or confirmed dead.
Itay’s parents have been incredibly brave and forceful advocates — not just for the return of their son — but for all of the victims and families who are still living an everyday nightmare. Ruby and his wife Hagit were among the first speakers yesterday at the American Jewish Committee’s Global Forum taking place in New York City. Ruby spoke for the family, and in his final words to the 2,000 advocates on hand and people watching around the world, he pleaded for individual action:
“I would like to end by quoting a famous American, Martin Luther King, from his speech, “I Have A Dream.” He coined the phrase ‘the fierce urgency of now.’ And today, that is what we are asking of you, ladies and gentlemen. Think of the urgency of now. Ask yourselves and challenge yourselves, what can you do to help bring out the hostages?”
“Those of you living in the United States, I urge you, when we leave here, go call up your Senator. Go call up your Congressman. If you are from Europe, call your parliament member. Ask the same thing, and end that question by saying, ‘I’m going to call the next day, and the next day, until we see all of these 59 hostages coming out.’
“Bring them home, NOW. Bring them home, NOW!”
About an hour later, during an impassioned debate between two Israeli journalists, one of them expanded on Ruby’s point. Asaf Liberman, who reports for KAN (Israeli Public Television), talked about the critical role that America still plays:
“I think that something very crucial has flipped in the discussion in Israel. A lot of things that are needed to be done — this is the place to do them. I mean, the last time that the hostages were released, that was due to President Trump — not because of Prime Minister Netanyahu. And you have a very important role, in our life. Because the discussion is here. The decisions are made here. So you are very important, and I think we all agree on that.
“In many aspects of life, Israel is kept out of the room. The nuclear deal. You remember the Trump administration had direct talks with Hamas — without Israel. So, maybe American journalists are more important than us. And maybe you, the very important people in the United States, are more important.”
I just called my Congressman, David Schweikert, and asked exactly what Ruby recommended I ask. If you want to do the same, click here to enter your zip code to get the office phon number of your member of Congress. And here for your U.S. Senators.
After all of the families had spoken and received overwhelming standing ovations, AJC CEO Ted Deutsch addressed the audience. In the last paragraph of his speech, he left no question about the first priority of the Forum:
“‘Bring them home’ is not a slogan. It is a call to action… 569 days is TOO MANY. It is time for us to bring them home. It’s the message for everyone in every corner of the world. No more yellow pins, no more dog tags — we can get rid of them when we bring them home. Thank you for being with us. BRING! THEM! HOME! NOW!”
May we all take action to make that plea a reality.
MICHAEL GOLDEN is the Editor-In-Chief of JEWDICIOUS and founder of The Golden Mean. (parts of quotations were edited to reflect the speakers’ emphasis)
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