Viki Cohen, the mother of Nimrod Cohen, who was kidnapped from a burning tank in Rehovot on October 7, 2023 aged just 19, said she longs to walk in the Israeli countryside with her son as a second Pesach without him approaches.
Speaking to the JC, Cohen described how the family has not been able to properly mark any Jewish holidays since the attack. “We used to sit together and share a meal, all the extended family together, and celebrate. But after Nimrod was kidnapped, we don’t have any holidays. We don’t do anything special – it’s just a regular day,” she said.
Nimrod Cohen loves music, nature, schnitzel with mash potatoes, the cakes his mother bakes and is a "champ" at Rubik's Cube.[Missing Credit]
Pesach, a public holiday in Israel, was traditionally a time for the Cohen family to enjoy nature and hike in the countryside. For Cohen, the festival, which represents freedom, is particularly painful because it falls during spring, a time when the countryside is blooming. “Nimrod loves nature and would walk with the family and his friends. We used to hike as a family, but we don’t do it anymore,” she said.
Cohen’s reflections come as the families of 59 hostages still held by Hamas in Gaza prepare for another holiday marked by absence after 550 days in captivity. According to Israeli intelligence, 24 hostages are believed to be alive. Over 100 hostages were released in November 2023 during a truce, and 33 were freed in the first phase of a deal earlier this year. But for those whose loved ones remain in captivity, the fight continues.
[Missing Credit]Nimrod Cohen loves walking in the countryside
Amid high level meetings and protests, Cohen has created a children’s Haggadah, which includes her own illustrations to represent the hostages – those still in captivity, those freed, and those killed. Nimrod is symbolised by a Rubik’s Cube, the puzzle he loves to play, and which was found inside the burnt tank that he was kidnapped from. Other drawings include a scorpion for Ohad Yahalomi, a moustache for Shlomo Mantzur, a bandaged hand for Emily Damari, the Batman logo for Ariel Bibas, and musical notes for Alon Ohel.
Ohad, 50, Shlomo, 85 and four-year-old Ariel were murdered while in Hamas captivity; Emily, 28, was released and Alon, 24, is still being held hostage.
The Haggadah is colourful and heartfelt, rooted in Cohen’s unwavering faith that her son will return. “I never lose hope that Nimrod is coming home,” she said. She hopes children will read the book during Pesach, “so they will know and remember that 59 hostages are still in captivity and need to come home to their families”.
The book is illustrated by Nimrod's mother, Viki Cohen, with symbols for many of the captives[Missing Credit]
She does not know if Nimrod is aware that Pesach is approaching. “He only hears what Hamas choose to tell him.” Testimony from released hostages has indicated that he has been kept in brutal conditions, confined to a small cage, shackled and tortured.
Released hostages have conveyed a message from Nimrod to his family: “I am okay. Don’t worry, I love you.” Cohen said this is typical of her son. “He always thinks of others and doesn’t want us to be worried,” she said. But she knows the reality is different. “It has been one year and a half without seeing the light, being tortured. When he was kidnapped, he saw his team killed, and he is traumatised,” she said.
Viki Cohen with the children's Hagadah she has illistrated[Missing Credit]
Until her son is free, Cohen cannot celebrate Pesach or return to her family’s traditions. “We celebrate freedom, but we are still hostages,” she said.
Cohen is calling on British Jews to pressure leaders to end the war, fulfil the second phase of the hostages and ceasefire deal and bring the captives home. And then, she hopes, she can walk in Israel’s blooming countryside with her beloved son.
The Haggadah, which includes a dedication to her son, is available at Hostage Square in Tel Aviv.
