An especially emotional moment occurred Wednesday evening at Schneider Children's Medical Center when Hagar and Avichai Brodetz and their three children arrived as a full family to light the fourth Hanukkah candle in the former Returnees' Department.
This department is where Hagar and their children Ofri, Yuval, and Uriah had stayed in November 2023 after they were released from Hamas captivity as part of the first prisoner swap deal.
Avichai Brodetz, who was released from the department with his family, now works as a nurse in the nearby Pediatric Ward A, adjacent to the Returnees' Department.
The emotional candle-lighting ceremony took place in the exact room where the family had stayed during the first days after their return home from captivity. For the family, the ceremony signaled a moment of closure.
