JERUSALEM (VINnews)– Former Hamas hostage Segev Kalfon, joined by his family, participated in the lighting of the first Hanukkah candle Sunday evening at the Western Wall Plaza, expressing profound gratitude for his release while praying for the return of the remains of deceased hostage Staff Sgt. Ran Gvili, the last Israeli still held in Gaza.
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The ceremony, attended by Israel’s Chief Sephardic Rabbi David Yosef, Western Wall Rabbi Shmuel Rabinowitz, and Jerusalem Mayor Moshe Lion, took on a somber tone following the deadly terrorist attack earlier that day at a Hanukkah event in Sydney’s Bondi Beach, where gunmen killed at least 15 people and wounded dozens in an assault targeting the Jewish community.
Kalfon, who endured extended captivity before his release, described the event as closing a personal circle of thanksgiving. “For the past two years, in this holy place, there have been prayers for me and for all the abductees,” he said. “Even from there, out of the darkness, I felt it. I knew that they had not forgotten me.”
He called his return “a gift that is priceless,” emphasizing Hanukkah’s theme of light overcoming darkness. “The first candle symbolizes that small spark that conquers great darkness,” Kalfon added. “I am also standing here for those who are still there. For Ran Gvili, this candle burns. We continue to believe, to pray, to hold on to the light that will not disappear.”
During the ceremony, Rabbi Rabinowitz lit a memorial candle for the victims murdered in the Australian attack. Rabbi Yosef offered wishes for a full and speedy recovery to the wounded. Attendees recited prayers for the healing of the injured and the repose of the souls of those killed.