Hostages and Missing Families Forum volunteers are wearing T-shirts, buttons, yellow ribbons and dog tags to bring awareness to the Israeli hostages who have been missing since Oct. 7.
By: Maria Allard | Metro | Published December 14, 2023
DETROIT — Every time Ella Ben Ami needs advice, she can always count on her dad to share his wisdom.
“He’s pretty smart and stable,” she said of her father, Ohad Ben Ami, an accountant who lives in Be’eri, a kibbutz in Israel. “I don’t do nothing without consulting him.”
Ella has not been in touch with her dad since Oct. 7 when members of the terrorist group Hamas kidnapped him and other Israeli hostages in a surprise attack that started the latest Israel-Hamas war.
“I don’t know if he is alive,” Ella said.
Ella, 23, was in Detroit the week of Dec. 4 along with Yair Moses, whose father, Gadi Moses, was taken from his home Oct. 7. Ella and Yair, who speak both Hebrew and English, came to Detroit as part of the civilian initiative Hostages and Missing Families Forum. The group’s mission is to “Bring Them Home Now.”
The Hostages and Missing Families Forum was formed by the abductees’ families less than 24 hours after the October attacks. The forum is volunteer-based and focused on bringing the hostages home to their families.
“Hamas attacked Israel in a terrible, cruel way,” Yair, 49, said. “The hell we are living in is terrible.”
Ella, with her partner, Raz Rozenberg, 23; and Yair and his son, Erez Moses, 16, spent one week in Detroit to bring awareness to the plight of the families whose loved ones are missing. According to an online news report from The Times of Israel dated Dec. 6, 2023, about 1,200 Israeli citizens were killed and 240 Israeli hostages were taken by Hamas when the conflict erupted.
On Dec. 7, Yair and Ella addressed the crowd at Detroit’s annual Menorah in the D lighting at Campus Martius Park, which observed the Jewish holiday Hanukkah. Yair and Ella — who had not met prior to coming to the Motor City — also were guests of honor at the Dec. 6 Detroit Pistons game at Little Caesars Arena. While in Detroit, they stayed at a local hotel and conducted several interviews with the media.
“(The war) is still happening. We must talk to news programs from all over the world. This helps keep us in the headlines,” said Yair, who resides in Gedera, Israel. “This puts pressure on the government and other countries. We need the help of the people to save the families. Anything can help us. Many people are not released yet. Time is running out.”
“It’s so important the word spreads,” Ella said. “Any support we can get, we need it.”
The war — which has killed civilians in both Israel and the Gaza Strip — has sparked countless debates with one side pro-Palestine and the other pro-Israel.
‘My family is broken’
Ella and Rozenberg were at home in Be’eri, Israel, Oct. 7 when the violence broke out. Ella’s dad, Ohad Ben Ami, 55, and her mother, Raz Ben Ami, 57, were taken hostage. Raz Ben Ami was released from captivity about a week prior to Ella’s Detroit visit.
“She has tumors in her brain and spine. When she was (taken), she didn’t get appropriate medical procedures and treatment,” Ella said. “My dad takes care of my mom. Now, he’s not here to take care of her.”
Ella said the minute she was reunited with her mother, she asked, “Where is Dad?” When Ella had the opportunity to visit Detroit, she considered staying home with her mom. But her mom encouraged her to come to the U.S. because, “You have to go bring back Dad.”
“My dad is handsome. He has nice eyes. He’s the funniest dad,” said Ella, who also has a sister in Israel. “My family is broken.”
The distance between Be’eri and the Gaza Strip is approximately 9 kilometers, which is about 5.5 miles.
“I’m used to conflict,” Ella said. “When I was very young, I know the missiles. I know the sirens.”
Yet, the bombings on Oct. 7 “felt different.”
“It was 6:30 in the morning,” Ella said. “It was a big amount of missiles. Something was wrong.”
She and Rozenberg, who hid in their safe room for 15 hours before being rescued, survived the air strikes. A safe room is a hiding place that provides emergency shelter during raids. They are often an extension of the home and have barricaded entries and thick concrete walls.
“We did not make any noises so the terrorists would not know we were there,” Ella said. “(When) I walked out of my home, it looked so different. Everything is burning. We can’t walk (because of) all the bodies on the (ground).”
“It was awful,” Rozenberg said. “It was like a zombie land in the streets, in the roads.”
“All the hostages, they were innocent civilians. They didn’t do this. They didn’t have guns to protect themselves. They woke up in the morning to a war,” Ella said. “They want to live in peace and in a good neighborship. I wish the neighborship with Gaza was good, to be a good friend. I don’t have any bad intentions in my body for Gaza.”
‘You hear bombs all over Israel’
“A kibbutz is a big community. It’s like a big family. You care about everyone there and know (them) for many, many years,” Yair said. “(People) love living there.”
Both of Yair’s parents, who are divorced, were taken from their kibbutz of Nir Oz. His father, Gadi Moses, 79, is still missing. After being held in captivity for several weeks, his mother, Margalit Moses, 77, was set free Nov. 24.
“There were a lot of hugs and tears. We were very happy,” Yair said. “We met her. Of course, it was pure joy.”
With the relief of her safe return home, there was also grim news: Gadi’s spouse, Efrat Katz, was killed in the massacre. Her daughter and two granddaughters had been kidnapped but were released.
It’s taken some time for Margalit to adjust.
“Mom, she’s better,” Yair said. “Finally got some color on her cheeks. There’s still a lot of work for the mental side.”
Yair has not been able to sleep well or work since the bloodshed began.
“Many people kidnapped, I know personally. You hear bombs all over Israel,” Yair said. “The first two weeks, I couldn’t sleep. I didn’t want to eat nothing.”
During the bombings Oct. 7, Yair was in contact with his dad, who was in the family’s safe room.
“Then we started to hear the terrorists. They all went inside,” Yair said. “We couldn’t get any answers from him. We’re trying to do what we can do to get him back.”
Family members have not heard from Gadi in over two months. They said he is missed and always in their thoughts. Since he was a young child, Erez has spent a lot of time with his grandfather, who works in farming.
“In the last 20 years, he has traveled around the world helping third-world countries to improve their agriculture,” Erez said. “He liked taking me and the grandkids on the tractors and teaching us whatever he can. It’s always interesting. He likes to be with us a lot; we just go and talk.”
To keep the awareness going, Yair wears a black T-shirt and baseball cap that both read “Bring Them Home Now.” In honor of the mission, Yair also dons a military-style dog tag around his neck that reads “Bring Them Home Now” in English and Hebrew. He has been growing a beard since Oct. 7 as the family waits for the hostages to be released.
For more information on Hostages and Missing Families Forum, visit bringthemhomenow.net.