Freed hostage Rom Braslavski shared a personal video reflecting on his life since returning from captivity and the sense of mission that now guides him.
"Captivity was both the greatest curse and the greatest blessing G-d gave me," he said. "Many people ask me how I survived it. The truth is, I don't have an answer myself. I don't know how I survived. From a logical perspective, if we go by logic, I should be dead."
"The fact that I was released obligates me to speak for those who didn't come back to us - for those who were murdered and massacred on October 7, or in captivity or the soldiers who went out to fight and sacrificed their lives."
"It shaped me. It shaped my character," he said, adding, "Now that I'm free, I'm dealing with very severe post-traumatic stress. It's incredibly difficult to return to life after such a massive upheaval in life."
"My question is this: Am I going to return to life, or am I going to remain a prisoner in Gaza? Will I get up and strengthen myself again and again and refuse to let them win? Or will I lock myself in my room and refuse to let the sun in? Because if I do that, they have won and not me.
"They win and I do not if I sink into depression and sadness. That's not something I'm willing to accept. Every day I choose again: to open the shutters, get up early, and let the sunlight into my life. I let the sun illuminate my dark face. It's dark inside, but bright outside, and my light on the outside slowly penetrates my soul."
Braslavski shared, "The PTSD and the severe trauma I went through - the bodies I saw, all the blood I saw, all the people who died that I carry on my shoulders, all my friends who were murdered - it's a good enough reason not to get up."
"But I choose, time and again, to rise from the blow I've been dealt, to give thanks to G-d: 'I give thanks before You... for mercifully restoring my soul within me; great is Your faithfulness,' because G-d had mercy on me and saved me from that house of bondage."