To mark Avinatan Or’s 32nd birthday –– his second spent in Hamas captivity –– his family visited the Pediatric Hemato-Oncology Department at Hadassah Hospital Ein Kerem, where Avinatan volunteered with children battling cancer.
Avinatan was kidnapped from a party near Kibbutz Re’im by Hamas terrorists and taken hostage on October 7, 2023.
“Here, in the place where the Hadassah staff does everything they can for these heroic children …. we made sure the children enjoyed a show by a clown,” said his sister, Yehudit. “We brought his great light –– the kindness that filled his entire tall and long body –– here, and I believe it reaches Avinatan in Gaza. I truly believe that we, the children and the people of Hadassah, are sending him strength and positive energy, and I believe we will be able to welcome him home soon.”
Turning to the children who enjoyed a day full of smiles and surprises, Yehudit said:
“Children, my big brother Avinatan has a birthday today, but he can’t celebrate because he’s in a bad place, a faraway place. He can’t eat chocolate cake, and I can’t make him happy. So I heard that in Jerusalem, at Hadassah, there is a group of superheroes who can rejoice for him and make him happy. Every smile of yours will bring joy to Avinatan and strengthen him. Together, we can do this.”
Said Dr. Gal Goldstein, director of the Pediatric Hemato-Oncology Department: “Here, we treat all children with love, from all backgrounds and nationalities. What unites all our caregivers is, first and foremost, our shared humanity…. Avinatan embodied that humanity, always choosing a path of kindness…. Today, Avinatan is on the exact opposite side of what we stand for –– he is in the most inhumane place, where people commit the most inhumane acts against others. There is no light there. If we, from here –– from this place of humanity and compassion –– can send Avinatan strength and warmth, then we have done something meaningful at Hadassah. We are waiting for his return. For the return of everyone.”
The event was led by the Headquarters for the Return of the Abducted in Jerusalem, together with Invidia, where Avinatan worked.
Article taken from Hadassah.org
https://www.hadassah.org/story/family-of-hospital-volunteer-held-hostage-brings-joy-to-kids-with-cancer-on-his-birthday