Friend Recounts Grief and Loss of Childhood Friend Murdered in Hamas Captivity
Translated & summarized from Channel 13 by baba
Arbel Ashkenazi, a survivor of the October 7th Hamas attack, spoke about the profound grief and loss she feels for her childhood friend, Eden Yerushalmi, who was abducted and murdered in captivity. Ashkenazi described how the national day of remembrance amplifies her personal pain and shared Yerushalmi's last known words to her from captivity.
The story in 5 lines · by baba
- Friend Arbel Ashkenazi mourns Eden Yerushalmi, abducted and murdered on Oct 7.
- Ashkenazi described national remembrance day intensifying personal grief.
- She is memorializing Yerushalmi by sharing her story.
- Yerushalmi's last words from captivity expressed hope Ashkenazi was waiting.
- Ashkenazi stated her friend's prayer was answered, but hers was not.
On Israel's national day of remembrance for the October 7th attacks, Arbel Ashkenazi is grappling with renewed feelings of loss for her childhood friend, Eden Yerushalmi, who was abducted from the Nova music festival and murdered while in Hamas captivity. Ashkenazi shared in an interview that while personal grief is a daily reality, the public nature of the remembrance day intensifies the tragedy.
"The feelings are definitely surfacing, especially these days," Ashkenazi said, describing how the collective national memory amplifies her personal sorrow. "Every day is a difficult day. But the moment an entire nation truly rises and speaks about it, it completely makes it more chilling."
Ashkenazi explained her personal mission to memorialize Yerushalmi by speaking about her and sharing her story. "I took my pain and turned it into speaking about Eden, to do what I can to memorialize her," she stated, adding, "I want to give my struggle a place. The hardest thing for me is the realization that she will not return."
The two friends maintained a close bond from childhood until they were separated during the Hamas attack on the Nova festival on October 7th. While Ashkenazi survived the massacre, Yerushalmi was taken hostage and later killed. "We split up. Each of us got into a different car, and from there everything deteriorated," Ashkenazi recalled. "I hoped for this, it sounds strange. Only on the 14th did we truly receive confirmation from the IDF that she was a hostage."
A clip from an upcoming television program, "Find Me, Okay?", was shown, featuring Yerushalmi's family members. In the footage, Yerushalmi, from captivity, directly addresses her friend, saying, "And I hope that Arbel, you are still waiting at home." Ashkenazi responded to this, stating, "Her prayer was answered, mine was not."
Not the same event — other stories that share this one’s people, places, or theme: background, reactions, and follow-ups.
