The timing of this event was moving and surreal. A few weeks ago, I invited Rabbi Elhanan Danino, father of Ori z”l, to address my Young Professionals Beit Midrash at the Sephardic Educational Center in Jerusalem. We scheduled it for Monday evening, May 12. Little did we know that May 12 would be the day an Israeli-American hostage from Gaza, Edan Alexander, would reunite with his family after 583 dark days in captivity.
This was surreal, because as Edan was being released, we sat around the table listening to an emotional Rabbi Danino tell us the heroic story of his beloved son Ori. We all remember that awful weekend in late August 2024, when the bodies of six murdered hostages were recovered by the IDF – Hersh, Ori, Eden, Almog, Alexander and Carmel. On this night, we heard Ori’s story.
Ori was a brave young man who sacrificed his life for others. On October 7, Ori was close to escaping the Nova party, when he made a fateful decision characteristic of his selfless nature: he turned back and tried to rescue Omer Shem Tov, and siblings Maya and Itay Regev – people he had met just a few hours earlier. They were all taken captive, and the three that Ori saved from potential Hamas gunfire were eventually released. Ori remained hostage and was murdered in captivity.
“From childhood through his military service to October 7, and throughout his 330 days in captivity, my son Ori was a leader whose mission in life was to help others” said an emotional Rabbi Danino. “On October 7, he fought terrorists and saved lives. He fearlessly stood up to Hamas terrorists in the tunnels, making sure the wounded like Hersh received medical treatment, never leaving his side. He refused to eat meat or chicken there, and after every bit of food, he recited Birkat Hamazon out loud for the whole tunnel to hear. My son was a fearless leader.”
On the night a lone soldier from the US was released from captivity, it was moving to hear Ori’s care for lone soldiers: “On many Shabbatot, Ori brought home a lone soldier from his unit. Every Shabbat he brought home their laundry, and always brought them all of the leftover food from Shabbat.”
Like his father, Ori was a unifying force: “My son did not see life through the lenses of religious vs. secular. He was raised in an ultra-Orthodox Sephardic home, but his vision of Israeli society was that all Jews are equal. He loved them all unconditionally. Our rabbis and political leaders should take example from Ori.”
On this emotional night, our inspired Beit Midrash students cried, laughed, learned and resolved to take example from Ori, and from his beloved father. Strength, courage, unity, love, dedication. Like father, like son.
Rest in peace, dear Ori.
Rabbi Daniel Bouskila is the international director of the Sephardic Educational Center.
