Hostage Survivor Slams Memorial Ceremony Organizers for Politicizing Grief
Translated & summarized from Behadrei Haredim by baba
Rom Barshevsky, a former Hamas hostage, is protesting the organizers of a memorial ceremony, alleging his requests to speak were denied due to political differences with leader Yonatan Shamriz. Barshevsky claims organizers are politicizing the event and excluding voices that don't align with their views. He also questioned the ceremony's budget while a former hostage was denied a platform. Similar feelings of exclusion have been reported by other hostage families.
The story in 5 lines · by baba
- Former hostage Rom Barshevsky accused memorial organizers of political exclusion.
- Barshevsky claims his requests to speak were repeatedly denied by organizer Yonatan Shamriz.
- He alleges organizers are politicizing the memorial and smearing it with politics.
- Barshevsky questioned the ceremony's budget while denying a former hostage a speaking role.
- Other hostage families reportedly feel similarly excluded.
Rom Barshevsky, a former Hamas hostage released about a year ago, has sharply criticized the organizers of a memorial ceremony, particularly the "קומו" movement, alleging his requests to participate were repeatedly rejected for political reasons. Barshevsky, who sought to speak at the event and commemorate 11 friends murdered on the day of the Hamas attack, revealed correspondence with one of the initiative's leaders, Yonatan Shamriz. The messages indicate his request was denied because the ceremony's program and speakers were finalized in advance. In a pointed video, Barshevsky questioned Shamriz's decision not to allow him, as a former hostage, to speak and honor the memory of the 11 slain team members, asking why organizers were dictating who could speak. Barshevsky asserted that the decision was based on political alignment, accusing Shamriz of "taking the holiest of holy things in the State of Israel and smearing it with politics." He also criticized the substantial budgets allocated to the event's production, questioning the priorities given the refusal to allow a former hostage, marking the first anniversary of his release, to speak. Barshevsky added that other hostage families have expressed similar feelings of exclusion and lack of participation.
