Rom Braslavski, a former hostage, made a guest appearance at Idan Amedi's concert, which paid tribute to the wounded soldiers of the IDF, police, and security forces at the Jerusalem International Convention Center (Binyanei Ha'uma).
Braslavski delivered an emotional speech to the audience: "For those asking why I’m here, I simply felt I needed a moment of disconnection and to reconnect with my emotions. So I sent Idan Amedi a message asking when his next performance would be. He told me it was a tribute evening for the IDF soldiers and security forces. I said I had to come and asked if I could say a word to our dear fighters."
"My name is Rom, I was held captive in Gaza throughout the entire Swords of Iron War. I was freed three months ago in the last group of hostages," the former hostage continued, emphasizing: "I want to say thank you to all the soldiers. During my darkest days, when I stood for 12 hours facing a wall, receiving lashings, the thing that comforted me was hearing your bombings, your tanks, your gunfire. Hearing from Al-Jazeera how many terrorists were killed that day."
He added, "You, the soldiers of the State of Israel, represent true Judaism. I salute you, our beloved soldiers, and thank you for going into Gaza, knowing you might not return alive so that I could come back to life. I owe you my life. You cried out my cry and took my revenge. I am sorry for all the soldiers who fell in this battle. I love you, and I wish for us to grow, flourish, and recover together. If it weren’t for the tremendous military pressure you applied on Gaza, I wouldn’t be here."
He concluded his remarks with the rallying cry "Am Yisrael Chai" (The People of Israel Lives) and recited the "Shema Yisrael" prayer: "Hear, O Israel, the Lord is our God, the Lord is One."
The event was organized by the Jerusalem Municipality, with the participation of Mayor Moshe Lion, Minister of National Security Itamar Ben Gvir, Minister of Heritage Amichai Eliyahu, and Deputy Mayor Arieh King.