Israel: According to family, the missing American mother and her daughter are hostages of Hamas

According to their rabbi, Judith Raanan and her teenage daughter Natalie Raanan were eager to visit Israel in order to commemorate a relative’s 85th birthday and the Jewish holiday season. Meir Hecht said that the two had been exchanging updates during the journey and were taking advantage of “this really special mom and daughter time together.”

Since Hamas conducted an extraordinary surprise strike a week ago, the family hasn’t heard from either mother or daughter. The neighborhood in their Chicago suburb worries that they are among the 150 or so hostages taken by Hamas terrorists. “Judith and her daughter Natalie are missing, and it appears they were probably taken as hostages to Gaza,” Hecht added. “We received this terrible news.” “I feel like our neighborhood has been abused.”

Simchat Torah, a joyous Jewish festival that commemorates the culmination of the yearly Torah reading, had been the occasion for their celebration. They were at Nahal Oz, an Israeli kibbutz that is 1.61 kilometers (miles) from the Gaza Strip.

At a gathering for the Raanans on Thursday night in Evanston, Natalie Raanan’s uncle, Avi Zamir, said the 17-year-old had graduated from high school and was eager to take a vacation and see relatives abroad. a good person. She is really adorable. Animals are her passion,” Zamir remarked. “We worry about her. For her, we pray. We pray she is with her mother.

Sigal Zamir, Natalie Raanan’s aunt, added, “I pray for them to come back alive,” through tears. They didn’t do anything since they are kind and pure. The 7-year-old daughter of the Hechts, who adores the color pink, received a pink prayer book from Judith Raanan just before she departed for Israel, according to Yehudis Hecht, the rabbi’s wife and Judith’s friend.

We’re thinking about you, Judith. Yehudis Hecht stated, “Of your fortitude, hope, love, charity, faith, and strength. “We know you’re a strong woman, and we hope to see you and your beloved Natalie soon and in safety.”