Tami Braslavski, the mother of hostage survivor Rom Braslavski, spoke to Ynet and spoke about her son's experiences in Hamas captivity over the past two years.
She noted that his captors wanted him to convert to Islam and promised to "compensate" him with food, and told him that if he read the Quran or fasted during Ramadan - he would receive small gifts and food. But it was important for Rom to maintain his Judaism, and according to his mother, he kept saying: "I am Jewish, I am strong, I will not break." "As soon as he came back, he donned tefillin," she said excitedly.
She added: "Thank God, now we are back to smiling a real smile, not a forced smile. We are back to life. Rom went through a very difficult time in captivity, these were two very difficult years. But if there is anyone who can survive this - it is Rom. He is strong, I believe in him."
"He has told us all kinds of terrible things that happened to him there as if they were an everyday thing. I heard it and my heart sank. Now I can really hug him - he's not there, he's here next to me."
She added: "We still have a way to go. I'm on this road with him, from the first step until we see him really smiling from the bottom of his heart."