KIDDUSH HASHEM: Agam Kept Shabbos and Kosher – Even During Captivity

Agam Berger, 20, made sure to keep Shabbos and kashrus during her Hamas captivity, it has been revealed.

She was abducted from the Nachal Oz military base on October 7, alongside six other IDF personnel who were guarding the area. Liri Albag, one of the fellow captives who was released on Shabbos, shared with Agam’s mother that her daughter maintained her commitment to kashrus, refraining from eating any of the meat provided while they were held.

“Despite the difficult conditions and the limited options, Agam chose to stay true to her values and her faith,” Liri said.

Merav Berger, Agam’s mother, made a heartfelt request to the Israeli media last week, asking that her daughter’s release not be covered in a way that would violate the sanctity of Shabbos. “We are waiting with bated breath for our daughters,” she remarked. “We also know that it will apparently happen on Shabbat, and not for no reason, either: Our enemies apparently intended that. To me it is important, and I have spent no small amount of time on this in recent days, how I will do it without desecrating Shabbat.”

After consulting with rabbis, including a senior figure in the military rabbinate, she decided to wait for Agam’s return in a way that would minimize any desecration of Shabbos. “I will wait for Agam, with G-d’s help, when she comes, with as little Shabbat desecration as possible,” she explained. “From you I ask, those who embrace us and who have gone this entire journey with us, and who have the great merit of bringing our children home – please do not desecrate Shabbat.”

“Do not photograph, do not be photographed, and wait for Shabbat to end. At the conclusion of Shabbat, we will come out, and there will be time, a lot of time, to take photographs and be photographed,” she added.

Agam was freed today following intense pressure from Israel, which demanded the release of civilian Arbel Yehud before opening the Netzarim Crossing, the border between northern and southern Gaza. Under the ceasefire-prisoner swap agreement, civilian hostages were supposed to be released before any IDF soldiers. However, Hamas broke the deal when they released four soldiers before the civilian Yehud, prompting a round of negotiations. Ultimately, Hamas agreed to release three hostages today and another three on Shabbos, adhering to the original terms of the agreement.

{Matzav.com Israel}