Rabbi Yoav Oknin, the rabbi of Sheba Medical Center, spoke about his meeting with with Almog Meir Jan, one of the hostages rescued during Operation Arnon. After the release, they told Rabbi Oknin that Almog wanted to meet him. The rabbi shared that Almog told him: "You have no idea how happy I am to meet a Rabbi." The Rabbi recounted: "He said this and cried for several minutes". Almog told the Rabbi about missing the holidays during the captivity period: "I was in that place for many months, missing Passover, missing Hanukkah, we would hear on the radio and know it was the eve of a holiday. I missed doughnuts, I missed the holidays," the Rabbi quoted. Related articles: Rescued hostage's lawsuit against US nonprofit dismissed Rescued hostage recites blessing of thanksgiving 'Leaving Gaza was the happiest day in my life and the saddest' Noa Argamani writes to her boyfriend, still a hostage in Gaza "What kept me going was faith", he shared with the rabbi. "I said what I knew, I said 'Shema Yisrael', 'Modeh Ani', that's what I knew, that's what I said." In the morning prayer following his release, Almog wore a yarmulke from his bar mitzvah. According to the Rabbi's calculation, Almog's Torah reading for his bar mitzvah was on the Sabbath of the Parashat Bamidbar. "On the Sabbath of Bamidbar, that's your rescue Sabbath, you have another bar mitzvah Sabbath", the rabbi told Almog. Jan, 22, from Or Yehuda, was abducted from the Nova party in the Re'im area on October 7th, and for 246 days he was held captive by Hamas in Gaza. On Friday, he spoke publicly for the first time and said: "I want to tell the entire nation of Israel thank you for welcoming me back like this, you are all amazing, all the effort and the madness since I came back, the warm embrace I haven't received in so long." "To our army, I have to compliment it and say it's the strongest army there is. Honestly, I have no words", Almog continued, "One last thing, I want to tell my government - I pray every day that all the captives will return. Just as I returned, I want everyone to return to their families, and for us to return to being united and one nation."
