Shul News

“Lend a hand, lend a heart. Smile and share something with another person so that the brave neshamot (souls) that were lost can continue through our actions,” said Einav Danino to the approximately 100 women at the annual Ziga Roshanski Mikvah Event held on Wednesday evening, July 9, at Congregation Anshe Chesed in Linden. Danino, mother of Ori Danino, HY”D, who was killed as a hostage in Gaza in August 2024, spoke about the miracles she experienced.

Rebbetzin Emma Katz noted that women came to the event from Highland Park, West Orange, Springfield, Hillside, Elizabeth and other communities. “Mrs. Danino doesn’t say everything is all good or all bad. But she looks for the good within the bad.” Rivka Gross, of Linden, noted that having Danino speak was “very emotional,” as they had just heard about Ori’s death shortly after the 2024 mikvah event and hearing from his mother seemed to complete the circle.

Rebbetzin Katz welcomed the group by noting that the exodus from Egypt was for the merit of the women who were concerned with the continuity of the Jewish people. She noted that in all generations, Jewish women are focused on life and as rebbetzin she sees the inner strength of Jewish women from all walks of Judaism who come to use the Linden mikvah for family purity and connections to tradition, and to enhance spirituality. She said, “Women sacrificed and suffered losses in the last two years more than we will ever know,” and she confirmed the strength of Jewish women, particularly the wives, mothers and other family members who continue to be impacted by the horrific events of Oct. 7.

Danino began her personal story by apologizing for her lack of fluency in English and introducing her friend and translator, Matana Jacobs. “I hope my words go from my heart and enter yours.” Since not everyone knew her son’s story, she began by retelling it. Her son, Ori, and a friend escaped from the Nova festival in their respective cars, but Ori chose to go back and try to rescue some other friends who were left behind. He located the friends and headed towards safety, but terrorists began shooting into their car and pulling the injured passengers out. The three passengers Ori saved last saw Ori being pulled away as he was separated from them before they were taken hostage to Gaza. “The three people have since been released and are alive today.” She had hope for 11 months that Ori was alive in a tunnel, and she spent the time “traveling the world and in Israel bringing emunah, mitzvot and uniting the nation of Israel as a merit that Ori would return from Gaza alive.”

Two months into the war, “I decided to be brave and see Ori’s car where it had been left at the Nova festival, even though I was warned against doing so. You don’t have to go to Poland to bear witness to the Holocaust, you can see it in Israel.” Three military staff members escorted her past lines of completely burnt cars from which nobody could have survived. When she saw her son’s bullet-ridden blue car, she screamed out, “Mizmor L’todah,” thanking Hashem for what she saw. “It was a miracle. It was only bullets. This was the first miracle I saw.”

On one trip to the United States, Danino was accompanied by her then 10-year-old daughter. They decided to eat at a restaurant to try to lighten the mood. A cake with a candle on it was brought out, and the child was told to make a wish. She wished that Moshiach would come soon, so that everyone’s loved one would be returned, and not just her brother.

Later, preparing for Shabbat and planning a future trip to the United States, Danino heard on the radio that several bodies had been retrieved from Gaza. She refused to believe it; with all the good deeds, how could it lead to bad news? But the “knock, the awful knock, came as someone from the army told me Ori and five precious souls were murdered. In the morning, I saw the second miracle. I got his body back and was able to give him a hug. I had the merit to see my son buried in the Holy Land of Israel. Not every mother had that opportunity.” When people ask how she could consider herself lucky or be grateful, she noted that it had to have been the additional mitzvot that allowed Ori to have stayed alive in the tunnels without sufficient air, food or water.

People who had been with Ori in the tunnels said that he kept people united and tried to protect others. He felt he would not make it out alive, but confirmed he made the right decision to return for his friends and would do the same thing again. “He had no regrets about what he did.”

Danino chooses to focus on the good and have gratitude. Her 25 years with her precious son had meaning. He was named for Psalms Chapter 27, which she said describes his life history. It says that Hashem doesn’t do anything bad for us, even if it is brutal. “There is nothing bad from Shamayim.” Released hostages said that Ori said that if he didn’t come out he wanted to be remembered with a sefer Torah written in his name. “His legacy would be through the sefer Torah.”

Throughout the session, the audience made significant use of the tissue boxes that were liberally distributed.

“We go through challenges throughout our life. Hashem sends us wakeup calls,” Danino said. “We can take it easy and give up, or we can accept the challenge and rise above. We can find meaning and purpose. We have to remember the holy ones dying for the sake of Hashem, but we can’t forget how to live. We have to serve as a legacy for these brave people who died because they were Jews. Ori’s last wish was for people to be united. Don’t leave any Jew behind. Be a role model for what is good.”

The forensics reports noted that the five bodies retrieved along with Ori all protected each other when they were killed. They came from all walks of Israeli life: religious and not, from politically left and right, male and female. They were all united—which Danino urges for all of us.