With a full room and the presence of more than 100 attendees, a unique conference was held at the Menora Center | Chella & Moise Safra for Youth with Yosef Haim Ohana, who shared his moving testimony after being held hostage for 738 days following the October 7 massacre.
Among those in attendance were prominent figures from the community, diplomatic, and institutional spheres, including the Ambassador of Israel to Argentina, Eyal Sela; Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary Fabiana Loguzzo, Co-President of the International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance (IHRA); Ambassador Gustavo Ainchil; Cristian García Sarubbi, CEO of OSDE; and Attorney Gabriel Salem, Gustavo Sakkal, and Alberto Zimerman representing DAIA.
Accompanied by his father, Avi Ohana, Yosef shared the difficult experiences he endured during nearly two years in captivity, while also conveying a powerful message of faith, strength, and resilience. Throughout his talk, he highlighted how he managed to maintain hope even during the darkest moments, focusing day by day on what was within his reach to do and preserve. He emphasized the importance of unity and expressed gratitude to all those who prayed for him.
“How did I manage to keep going despite so much suffering? By knowing that each day had a mission, that I could do what was in my hands, that I could continue to uphold my values. Because they could kidnap my body, but not my soul. It also helped me greatly to know that I have a great family, the people of Israel, who, no matter where they are, always stood by me and prayed for me,” Yosef shared.
For his part, Avi Ohana spoke about the profound pain and uncertainty he experienced during his son’s captivity, as well as the spiritual strength that sustained him throughout that time. With great emotion, he described how he never lost faith or hope of embracing Yosef alive again.
The gathering included words from Chief Rabbi Isaac Sacca, Rabbi Gabriel Sacca, and the Ambassador of Israel to Argentina, Eyal Sela, who blessed Yosef Haim and his father Avi and expressed their deep admiration for their story of faith and hope during such challenging times.
In response to Rabbi Gabriel Sacca’s question about how a father was able to endure the suffering of having a son held hostage for so long, Avi Ohana explained that the pain and uncertainty he experienced during his son’s captivity were immense: how could he eat knowing his son might not be eating? How could he go to sleep knowing his son had nowhere to sleep? It was his spiritual strength that sustained him throughout that time.
The conference left profound lessons about the human ability to overcome adversity, the strength of faith, and the value of never giving up. The attendees experienced a deeply moving event that they will hardly ever forget.
