Hostage Survivor Matan Angrest Completes Emotional European Pilgrimage
Matan Angrest, who was held captive by Hamas for nearly a year, recently completed a deeply moving pilgrimage across Europe, marking a significant personal closure. The journey, organized by the "Jewish Connection" organization, brought together survivors of the Nova music festival massacre and former hostages.
During the trip, Angrest visited the grave of Rabbi Yisai'le of Krastir in Hungary, reciting Psalm 100, "Mizmor L'Toda" (A Psalm of Thanksgiving). This was a poignant moment, exactly one year after his father and brother visited the same site to pray for his release. The pilgrimage began in Poland, where participants visited the Jewish cemetery in Warsaw, learning about the vibrant pre-war Jewish life and hearing harrowing accounts of children hiding in underground pits to survive the Nazi regime. They also visited the Majdanek concentration camp for a solemn ceremony.
The group then traveled to Lizhensk, Poland, to pray at the tomb of Rabbi Elimelech of Lizhensk, before heading to Hungary. The visit to Rabbi Yisai'le's grave in Krastir was a highlight, fulfilling a promise made by Angrest's family during his captivity. His father and brother had stood at the same spot a year prior, vowing to return and give thanks upon his safe return.
"This is the most overwhelming answer to all our enemies, the standing of survivors of the inferno who experienced the worst, and chose from the darkness to draw closer and connect to Judaism and the values of Shabbat observance, together with those returned from captivity in the Gaza Strip, on the grounds of the death camps, precisely during the days of Elul and leading up to Rosh Hashanah," said Tzlil Schneider, chairwoman of "Jewish Connection." She added, "Precisely from the depths, during the days of mercy and forgiveness, a clear voice of strengthening, renewal, and connection to tradition was heard. This nation is not broken. It unites, returns to its roots, and continues to live and believe."
Another participant, Menachem Koldetzky, a Haredi media figure, described the profound impact of seeing Angrest, bearing a scar from his captivity, put on tefillin alongside other survivors. He noted how the shared prayers and experiences, including encountering anti-Israel sentiment and then celebrating with Hasidic Jews, underscored a renewed sense of Jewish unity and a clear understanding of who the real enemy is. The journey concluded with a powerful sense of strengthened connection among the participants.
