Sacramento resident Ryan Pessah says he has been living in a nightmare since he found out Hamas took his relatives hostage more than two weeks ago.
Pessah says he hasn’t heard from four of his family members — two of which are 12 and 16 years old — since Oct. 7, when Hamas attacked Israel and abducted roughly 200 people, according to Israeli officials. Four hostages have been released so far.
From the state Capitol on Monday, Pessah pleaded for the release of his family and other hostages during a vigil organized by the Jewish Federation of the Sacramento Region.
“Every day I wake up hoping that this will be the day they are free,” Pessah said. “And every night I go to sleep praying for their rescue and their safe return.”
Pessah said he broke down when he first saw a video appearing to show Hamas abducting his cousin Yair Yaakov and Yaakov’s girlfriend Meirav Tal. The family’s last communication with Yaakov’s two children, Pessah said, was a phone call in which their mother heard them say “please, don’t take me.” Yaakov and his children weren’t together when Hamas took all four from the kibbutz they lived in, which Pessah said is like a community cooperative farm.
Ryan Pessah had family kidnapped from Israel and held hostage by Hamas. Pictured Monday, Oct. 23, 2023.Andrew Nixon / CapRadio
In an interview with CapRadio, Pessah added that he feels it’s a scary time to be Jewish, a sentiment other speakers and attendees at the vigil echoed. Lt. Gov. Eleni Kounalakis and Mayor Darrell Steinberg both remarked on how the Oct. 7 attack was the deadliest day for Jewish people since the Holocaust. About 1,400 people were killed, according to Israeli officials.
Susie Mano of Citrus Heights said she has been feeling heartbroken since the attack and joined the vigil to call for the release of hostages. She has family living in Israel, including Tel Aviv and Haifa.
“It feels like a personal attack because Israel is our home as much as the United States is our home,” Mano said. “It's like our second country. And so it feels as bad for us as, like, 9/11 felt.”
Only one non-Jewish friend has called to ask how she was doing, Mano said, adding she has not seen much support in the community. After having concerns over a rise in antisemitism for the last several years, Mano said she thinks it’s getting worse around the world and in Sacramento.
The California Department of Justice released a report in June that found the state has seen the number of antisemitic incidents increase 24.3% from 2021 to 2022, climbing from 152 to 189. Sacramento resident Joceline Herman, who also attended the vigil, noted the Anti-Defamation League recorded a spike in incidents this month.
“It's not just scary by what's happening in Israel, as we all have friends and family there,” Herman said. “But it's scary being here, knowing that our community and Jewish spaces are being threatened.”
Herman added she has felt horrified, appalled and alone since the Oct. 7 attack. She, like Mano, compared it to 9/11.
“While we're all trying to proceed with living our lives, because we have that luxury as American Jews to do so, it's also constantly in the back of our minds,” Herman said. “Worried, how are our friends?”
Folsom resident Elli Batat said he talks to his 11 siblings living in Israel every day. The day before the vigil, Batat said bombshells were dropped on a Jerusalem playground where his sister’s children were. The children had to run home, Batat said, adding it doesn’t matter who launched the bombs.
“We just need to have the ability to live life normally, and it doesn't matter which side,” said Batat, who was born in Jerusalem. “It doesn't.”
As a father of five children, Batat said he asked the Folsom-Cordova Unified School Districts for resources on how to deal with the attacks mentally and emotionally. The district sent information on how to talk about war, loss and the news, which he said was helpful.
Batat added he wants to see more clear community support, but felt hopeful after joining the vigil to release the hostages. Representatives from other faiths stood with Jewish leaders and community members to pray for their safe return.
“If we've been here for an hour together, it's a good thing,” Batat said.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
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